St Helens start Challenge Cup campaign with trip to France
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Your support makes all the difference.St Helens, last season's beaten finalist, will start their attempt to go one better this year in France after being drawn away to Union Treiziste Catalane in the fourth round of the Powergen Challenge Cup.
UTC are the one remaining French side in the competition and, given the traditional difference between French teams' home and away form, it could represent a tricky outing for Saints.
Wigan, who beat them at Twickenham last April, have what appears to be a more straightforward task, at home against the amateurs of Halton Simms Cross, who qualified by beating London Skolars in the last round.
The other surviving amateurs, Wath Brow Hornets, who beat their fellow Cumbrians, Workington Town, in the third round, are at home again, against Batley.
There are three all Super League ties, the pick of them at Warrington, where Bradford Bulls, installed as the bookies' favourites last night, are the visitors. The Wolves' assistant coach, Gary Chambers, phoned his boss, Paul Cullen at the club's pre-season training camp in Lanzarote with the news.
"He was really pleased with the draw," Chambers said. "If we aspire to do well this season, this is a good measurement for us."
The other all-Super League ties are a derby at Wakefield, who host Castleford, and the first game for Hull at the new Kingston Communications Stadium, with Halifax as the visitors.
The BBC is to screen a double bill of live matches on Saturday 8 February, from Warrington and Wakefield, with the other matches to be played the following day.
The competition had been rebranded as the Powergen Challenge Cup because TXU Energi, who signed a three-year sponsorship deal last year, has since been taken over.
The Rugby League is studying reports from the third-round tie between Featherstone and Villeneuve on Sunday after the French club said they would not come to play in England again because they had been so heavily penalised.
The Featherstone coach, Andy Kelly, described the French tactics as "despicable" and the referee, Peter Taberner, said that he had been manhandled by a Villeneuve official after the match.
The London Broncos have narrowed down their search for a future Super League star, Prop Idol, to the last three.
Sam Wilson, a student from New Zealand, and two rugby union players, James Hersey and Michael Lowis, are in line to play for the club in its pre-season friendly at Warrington next Sunday after emerging from a field of 200 aspiring players.
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