Women's Challenge Cup

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Women's Challenge Cup
Current season or competition:
2021 Women's Challenge Cup
Rugby league challenge cups.jpg
The women's, men's, and wheelchair Challenge Cup trophies
SportRugby league
Instituted2012
Inaugural season2012
Country England
WinnersSaintscolours.svg St. Helens (1st Title) (2021)
Most titlesThatto Heath Crusaders (4 titles)
WebsiteWomen's Challenge Cup
Broadcast partnerBBC
Related competitionWomen's Super League
Women's Super League South
Championship
League 1

The Women's Challenge Cup is a rugby league knockout competition organised by the Rugby Football League. The competition started in 2012.[1]

History[]

2012–2016: Foundations[]

The Women's Challenge Cup was set up in 2012 to run alongside the men's competition to give women's rugby teams more competitive games and to give the sport a bigger profile by attaching it to the Challenge Cup. Most teams in the first few years were community clubs and had no links to professional men's clubs. In 2014 the RFL set up an amateur league for the women's game, to help more women's teams get regular game time.

2017–present: Exposure[]

In 2018 the competition started to receive a much higher profile, with the final being broadcast live on the BBC Sport website.[2] In 2019 bookmakers Coral agreed to sponsor the competition – in addition to their sponsorship of the men's Challenge Cup – and it was also announced that the final of the 2019 Cup would be played as part of a triple-header with the semi-finals of the men's 2019 Challenge Cup at the University of Bolton Stadium on 27 July 2019.[3]

Finals[]

Year Winning team Score Losing team Venue
Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers 46–0[4] Bullscolours.svg Bradford Thunderbirds Crown Flatt
Saintscolours.svg Thatto Heath Crusaders 54–12[5] Bullscolours.svg Bradford Thunderbirds Mount Pleasant
Saintscolours.svg Thatto Heath Crusaders 32–24[6] Bullscolours.svg Bradford Thunderbirds Crown Flatt
Saintscolours.svg Thatto Heath Crusaders 22–6[7] Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers Odsal Stadium
Saintscolours.svg Thatto Heath Crusaders 62–6[8] Leigh colours.svg Leigh Miners Rangers
Bullscolours.svg Bradford Bulls 50–16[9] Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers Heworth RLFC
2018 Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos 20–14[10] Castleford colours.svg Castleford Tigers Halliwell Jones Stadium
2019 Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos 16–10[11] Castleford colours.svg Castleford Tigers University of Bolton Stadium
2020 No tournament - cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom
2021 Saintscolours.svg St. Helens 34–6[12] Balmain colours.svg York City Knights Leigh Sports Village

Results[]

Club Wins Runners
up 		Winners Runners up
1 Saintscolours.svg Thatto Heath Crusaders 4 0 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
2 Rhinoscolours.svg Leeds Rhinos 2 0 2018, 2019
3 Bullscolours.svg Bradford Bulls 1 3 2017 2012, 2013, 2014
4 Fevcolours.svg Featherstone Rovers 1 2 2012 2015, 2017
5 Saintscolours.svg St. Helens 1 0 2021
6 Castleford colours.svg Castleford Tigers 0 2 2018, 2019
7 Leigh colours.svg Leigh Miners Rangers 0 1 2016
8 Balmain colours.svg York City Knights 0 1 2021

Sponsorship[]

Year Sponsor Name
2019–2020[13] Coral Coral Women's Challenge Cup
2021[14] Betfred Betfred Women's Challenge Cup

References[]

  1. ^ "Coral Women's Rugby League Challenge Cup Roll of Honour". Rugby Football League. 2019. Archived from the original on 25 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  2. ^ "Women's Challenge Cup final and Shield to be streamed live". Bradford Bulls. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Challenge Cup 2019: RFL confirm new sponsor and semi-finals double-header". The Mail. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  4. ^ "Featherstone win Women's Challenge Cup". Love Rugby League. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  5. ^ "RFL Womens Challenge Cup Final". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 2, 868. 24 June 2013. p. 33.
  6. ^ "Amateur game: Women's Rugby League round-up". Total RL. 4 August 2014. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  7. ^ "Stanley racks up points in Challenge Cup triumph". St Helen's Star. 4 August 2016. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  8. ^ "Women's Rugby League Challenge Cup Final". 4 The Love of Sport. 1 August 2016. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  9. ^ "Bradford Bulls win Women's RL Challenge Cup". Telegraph & Argus. 30 July 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  10. ^ "Women's Challenge Cup: Leeds Rhinos women beat Castleford Tigers 20-14 to lift trophy". BBC Sport. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  11. ^ "Women's Challenge Cup final: Castleford Tigers 10-16 Leeds Rhinos". BBC Sport. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  12. ^ "St Helens outclass York to take Women's Challenge Cup with Woosey double". The Guardian. 5 June 2021. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Coral to sponsor the Challenge Cup". www.rugby-league.com. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  14. ^ "Betfred up for the Cups". www.rugby-league.com. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
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