St.Helens now know that our Betfred Challenge Cup Third Round opponents will be West Hull ARLFC.
Following the Challenge Cup draw and First Round fixtures being delayed due to the severe weather, the Saints initially had four possible opponents for our entry into the competition. Over the past two weekends the First & Second Round ties have been played.
Last weekend (First Round) Hunslet defeated Stanley, 20-32, whilst West Hull beat Edinburgh 90-0 to set up was a clash of two National Conference League heavyweights.
Two of the most consistent sides in the NCL whose last previous meeting was in the league semi-finals, which Hunslet won 6-18 in Hull before going on to be crowned NCL champions for a third successive year.
On Saturday, it was West Hull though who got the away day victory, in a tight and thrilling contest at The Oval in Hunslet. At the hour mark the scores were locked 18-18, then nine minutes before the whistle Josh Oliver scored a try for West Hull, which Jay Hampshire converted to make it 18-24.
An away win over the reigning NCL Champions, and a dream tie for West Hull against the 13-times Challenge Cup holder St.Helens.
The knockout match, which will be played over the weekend of the 7th to 9th of February, will be the first time St.Helens will have played an amateur team in a competitive match since beating Maryport in the Lancashire Cup back in September of 1969.
Fixture date, time, venue and ticket details will be confirmed in due course.
🏆Round 3 here we come 🏆 @Saints1890 pic.twitter.com/Nqhr82WECG
— West Hull Rugby League (@WestHullRL) January 25, 2025
Congratulations to West Hull on their victory, the Saints are very excited to meet you in match action.
Commiserations to Hunslet, we wish them well for the upcoming NCL season.