RFL 1895 Cup

Last updated

1895 Cup
Current season or competition:
Rugby football current event.svg 2024 RFL 1895 Cup
Sport Rugby league
Formerly known as Championship Cup
Instituted2019;5 years ago (2019)
Inaugural season 2019
Number of teams21
NationsFlag of England.svg  England
Flag of Wales (1959-present).svg  Wales
Holders Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers (2023)
Most titles Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers
Sheffeagles colours.svg Sheffield Eagles
Leigh colours.svg Leigh Centurions
Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers
(1 title)
Broadcast partner BBC (Final only)
Related competition Championship
League 1

The Rugby Football League 1895 Cup is an annual rugby league knockout tournament for clubs in the RFL Championship.

Contents

History and format

There have been many cup competitions for the lower leagues of rugby league. In 2002 the Championship Cup was founded for Championship and League 1 clubs to compete in along with the Challenge Cup, with the aim to give the lower league clubs a competition they can realistically win. The Championship Cup folded in 2013 in anticipation for the 2015 league restructuring. There was no replacement for Championship clubs, though the League 1 Cup ran from 2015-2017 for teams from that league.

2019 tournament

The new competition, named in honour of the founding of the Northern Union in 1895, was put to the Championship and League 1 clubs 1895, to start in the 2019 season. [1] [2] The inaugural 2019 tournament involved a qualifying first round for the eight League 1 clubs which entered, followed by a straight knock-out when the winners of that round joined the twelve Championship sides to make a last-16. The final was played at Wembley on 24 August immediately after the 2019 Challenge Cup final. [3] [4]

Covid-19 era

However, this format lasted only one season as the 2020 competition did not take place due to the Covid-19 pandemic. [5] With Covid-19 still affecting the 2021 season, a new format which merged the early rounds of the tournament with the Challenge Cup was approved. In 2021, the four sides which progressed from the second round of the Challenge Cup also qualified for the 1895 Cup semi-finals. [6] An adapted version of this format was played in 2022 and 2023, to reflect the re-expansion of the Challenge Cup after Covid. In this version, the five qualifiers - including any amateur teams - from the fifth round of the Challenge Cup would qualify for the 1895 Cup. Any teams who reached the sixth round of the Challenge Cup would qualify directly to the semi-finals of the 1895 Cup, with two of the remaining qualified teams drawn into a play-off round before the semi-final stage. [7]

2024 format

A refreshed format for the 2024 Cup separated it back out from Challenge Cup, as the need to limit games post-Covid was reduced. This format introduced a group stage, into which thirteen Championship and eight League 1 clubs entered. [8] The group stage consists of seven groups of three, with winners and the best performing runners-up qualifying for the knock-out competition from the quarter-final stage. [9]

Results

SeasonWinnersScoreRunners-upVenueAttendance [lower-alpha 1]
2019 Sheffeagles colours.svg Sheffield Eagles 36–18 Widnes colours.svg Widnes Vikings Wembley Stadium 62,717
2020Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers 41–34 YorkRLFCcolours.png York City Knights Wembley Stadium 40,000 [lower-alpha 2]
2022 Leigh colours.svg Leigh Centurions 30–16 Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 4,350
2023 Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers 12–10 Batley colours.svg Batley Bulldogs Wembley Stadium 58,213 [10]

Team performance

TeamWinnersRunners-upYears wonYears runner-up
Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers 1120212022
Faxcolours.svg Halifax Panthers 102023N/A
Leigh colours.svg Leigh Centurions 102022N/A
Sheffeagles colours.svg Sheffield Eagles 102019–
Batley colours.svg Batley Bulldogs 01–2023
Widnes colours.svg Widnes Vikings 01–2019
YorkRLFCcolours.png York City Knights 01–2021

Sponsors

In June 2019 it was announced that the cup would be sponsored by AB Sundecks, owned by former Leigh Centurions chairman Derek Beaumont. [11]


Notes

  1. ↑ Attendance not separately recorded to that of the Challenge Cup Final
  2. ↑ Attendance limited to half capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Challenge Cup</span> Rugby league knockout cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League

The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's oldest cup competition in either code of rugby. A concurrent Women's Challenge Cup and Wheelchair Challenge Cup have been held since 2012 and 2015 respectively.

The 2013 Challenge Cup was the 112th staging of the most competitive European rugby league tournament at club level and was open to teams from England, Wales, Scotland and France. It began its preliminary stages in October 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European Rugby Champions Cup</span> Annual rugby union tournament

The European Rugby Champions Cup is an annual rugby union tournament organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the top-tier competition for clubs who compete in a predominantly European league. Clubs qualify for the Champions Cup via their final positions in their respective national/regional leagues or via winning the second-tier Challenge Cup; those that do not qualify are instead eligible to compete in the second-tier Challenge Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EPCR Challenge Cup</span> Annual European rugby union competition

The EPCR Challenge Cup is an annual rugby union competition organised by European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR). It is the second-tier competition for clubs based in European leagues behind the European Rugby Champions Cup. From its inception in 1996 to 2014, it was known as the European Challenge Cup and governed by European Rugby Cup (ERC). Following disagreements in the structure of the tournament's format and division of revenue, the English and French leagues withdrew to form the EPCR, which organized the Challenge Cup and the Champions Cup since the 2014–15 season.

The 2017 Challenge Cup, was the 116th staging of the Challenge Cup the main rugby league knockout tournament for teams in the Super League, the British National Leagues and a number of invited amateur clubs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Challenge Cup</span>

The 2019 Challenge Cup known as the Coral Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the 118th staging of the Challenge Cup, the main rugby league knockout tournament for teams in the Super League, the British National Leagues and a number of invited amateur clubs.

The 2019 RFL 1895 Cup, known as the 2019 AB Sundecks 1895 Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the inaugural tournament for the RFL 1895 Cup, a rugby league football competition for clubs in the United Kingdom. The tournament was played between League 1 and Championship teams between May and August 2019. The format of the tournament was confirmed in December 2018, and consisted of five rounds. In round 1 eight League 1 teams played in a knock out round. Round 2 introduced the 12 English teams from the Championship who with the winners from round 1 will play eight ties. The quarter-finals and semi-finals followed in June and July, with the final played at Wembley Stadium on 24 August, with the Challenge Cup final also being played on this day.

The 2019 RFL Women's Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons was an English rugby league knockout tournament competed for by 27 teams during the summer of 2019. The competition was sponsored by Coral who are also the sponsor of the men's Challenge Cup. Defending their title where Leeds Rhinos who beat Castleford Tigers 20–14 in the final at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on 4 August 2018.

The 2020 Challenge Cup, known as the Coral Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 119th staging of the Challenge Cup, the main rugby league knockout tournament for teams in the Super League, the British national leagues and a number of invited amateur clubs.

The 2020 Challenge Cup Final was the 119th final of rugby league's Challenge Cup knock-out competition. The culmination of the 2020 Challenge Cup was originally scheduled for 22 August, but was postponed due to safety concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic along with most of the latter stages of competition. The final was rescheduled to be played on 17 October 2020 with kick-off at 15:00 (BST). The final was contested by the winners of the tournament semi-finals, Leeds Rhinos playing Salford Red Devils.

The 2021 Challenge Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2021 Betfred Challenge Cup, was the 120th edition of the Challenge Cup, the main rugby league knockout tournament in British rugby league run by the Rugby Football League (RFL). This year's competition will be contested between only the professional clubs.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on the sport of rugby league in both the northern and southern hemispheres with the two major league competitions suspended for periods and numerous other leagues and cup competitions cancelled or abandoned.

The 2021 RFL 1895 Cup, known as the 2021 AB Sundecks 1895 Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the second playing of the RFL 1895 Cup, a rugby league football competition for clubs in the United Kingdom. The competition is for the professional clubs who play in the Championship and League 1 and was played between March and July 2021.

The 2021 Challenge Cup Final was the 120th final of rugby league's Challenge Cup knock-out competition. It took place on 17 July 2021 at Wembley Stadium between Castleford Tigers and St Helens.

The 2022 Challenge Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2022 Betfred Challenge Cup, was the 121st edition of the Challenge Cup, the main rugby league knockout cup tournament in British rugby league run by the Rugby Football League (RFL). It started on 15 January 2022 and ended, with the final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 28 May.

The 2022 Women's Challenge Cup was the 10th staging of the Rugby Football League's cup competition for women's rugby league clubs. The competition was won by St Helens who beat Leeds Rhinos 18–8 in the final at Elland Road on 7 May.

The 2022 RFL 1895 Cup, known as the 2022 AB Sundecks 1895 Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the third playing of the RFL 1895 Cup, a rugby league football competition for clubs in the United Kingdom. The competition is for clubs who play below the top-tier Super League, with amateur clubs joining lower-tier professional clubs in qualification for the first time. The competition was played from April to May 2022. The final was played as a curtain raiser to the 2022 Challenge Cup Final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London on 28 May 2022.

The 2023 Challenge Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2023 Betfred Challenge Cup, was the 122nd edition of the Challenge Cup, the main rugby league knockout cup tournament in British rugby league run by the Rugby Football League (RFL). It began over the weekend of 11–12 February 2023 and ended with the final, at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 12 August.

The 2024 Challenge Cup, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2024 Betfred Challenge Cup, is the 123rd edition of the Challenge Cup, the main rugby league knockout cup tournament in British rugby league, run by the Rugby Football League (RFL). It began over the weekend of 13–14 January 2024, and will end with the final, at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 8 June.

The 2024 RFL 1895 Cup is the fifth staging of the RFL 1895 Cup, a rugby league competition for English and Welsh clubs outside the Super League.

References

  1. ↑ "RFL to introduce 1895 Cup as part of new-look Challenge Cup final day". 13 November 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  2. ↑ "1895 Cup will ignite Wembley dream – Rimmer". RL News. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  3. ↑ "1895 Cup entrants and details announced". 20 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  4. ↑ "RFL defend decision to play 1895 final after main game". League Weekly. No. 869. 18 March 2019. p. 21.
  5. ↑ "Betfred Championship and League 1, and AB Sundecks 1895 Cup | Update". www.rugby-league.com. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  6. ↑ "Championship, L1 and Cups structure confirmed". Serious About Rugby League. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  7. ↑ Ibbetson, Stephen (28 February 2022). "Everything you need to know about the Challenge Cup fifth-round draw". Total Rugby League. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  8. ↑ Olawumi, Ben. "Cornwall chief explains withdrawal from 1895 Cup, admits 'preference would have been to take part'". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  9. ↑ Olawumi, Ben. "1895 Cup groups and fixtures revealed as tournament gears up for new format in 2024". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  10. ↑ "Challenge Cup 2023 final attendance revealed with motorway impacting supporters; Women's game enjoys record crowd". LoveRugbyLeague. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  11. ↑ "Beaumont backs 1895 Cup as new title partner". 31 May 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.