Preview: Huddersfield v Castleford (Sun)
Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield and Castleford battle it out at the Galpharm Stadium live on BBC on Sunday.
Giants coach Nathan Brown is in his first year at Huddersfield and is looking to take them to the Final and go one further than they did under Jon Sharp in 2006.
He said: “Doing well in the Challenge Cup is important to us all – players, staff and fans. It’s obviously a big thing to do well in the Challenge Cup and I’m sure all the club’s and their players are excited about playing in the quarter-finals this week and hopefully progressing to the semi-finals.”
Second rower Andy Raleigh played for the Giants in their defeat to Saints in 2006. He said: “Playing in front of 70,000 plus fans is brilliant anywhere but to be able to do it at Wembley would be even better. All the boys are excited by that prospect but we need to look to perform against Castleford first. We are looking forward to it but we know we need to produce a good display this week.”
Castleford became the first team to lose to a non-Super League side for almost a decade in 2006, when they were defeated 12-6 by Widnes. Ryan McGoldrick was part of the team that day.
He said: “The first year I came over here was 2006, when we got knocked out by Widnes. I probably didn’t realise how special the Challenge Cup was that year and that was a big mistake in my thinking. It’s a massive competition.
“A lot of the fans and the public rate the Challenge Cup better than the league. From that moment in 2006 it hit home and I’ve been trying to stress that to the overseas blokes this year. A knockout competition like this is unique.
“Most people will say we’ve had an easy draw to get to this stage, even if the Halifax game didn’t show it. The fans have been coming up to me saying how excited they are. Castleford is a Rugby League town and for us to go any further in the competition would send the town absolutely berserk.”
The Giants underwhelmed in their 38-12 win over Championship 1 side Rochdale in the last round, but they recorded an impressive 42-16 win against Harlequins in the capital in Round four.
Castleford needed extra time to see off Championship side Halifax in the fifth round, Brent Sherwin‘s golden point drop goal sealing a 35-34 win. The Tigers coasted past Keighley in the previous round, winning 64-20 at Cougar Park.
Huddersfield (from): tba
Castleford (from): Richard Owen, Kirk Dixon, Michael Shenton, James Evans, Michael Wainwright, Rangi Chase, Mitchell Sargent, Craig Huby, Brett Ferres, Ryan Clayton, Joe Westerman, Stuart Jones, Liam Higgins, Chris Feather, Kirk Netherton, James Ford, Sione Faumuina, Ryan McGoldrick, Dean Widders.
Galpharm Stadium, Sun, 3.30pm