The YP's rugby league writer James O'Brien looks ahead to the Challenge Cup quarter-finals, which includes Wakefield Trinity v Leigh Leopards and Hull FC v Hull Kingston Rovers
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00:00Hello and welcome. It's a special edition of our Rugby League chat this week with James
00:09O'Brien. We're just going to feature on the Challenge Cup, two ties involving Yorkshire
00:14teams going into the quarter-final weekend. Friday night sees Wakefield welcome Lee Leopards
00:19while Hawkings to Rovers visit arch-rivals across the city, Hull FC on Saturday. James
00:25O'Brien is going to be at both games and we're just going to look ahead to both. James,
00:29we'll start obviously with the obvious type obviously on the Friday, Wakefield against
00:34Lee. On paper, it's probably a game that Lee are expected to win, but the way Wakefield
00:39have kind of started in Super League, which is very impressive considering they only got
00:45promoted last year, will give Lee plenty to think about, won't it?
00:49Yeah, definitely. Also, the play of last week and Wakefield's turn them over put 40 points
00:54on them. Lee know they're in for a tough game. If you'd have offered them a quarter-final
01:00at Wakefield before the season started, they'd have probably taken it. But now, especially
01:04after last week, they'll be on the guard. They know what Wakefield are all about. The
01:10thing about Wakefield this season, they've won every game away from home. They've won
01:13at Lee, they've won at Warrington, they've won at Leeds, but they're yet to win at Bellevue.
01:18They've only played three games, it's fair to say, and they've been very close in two
01:22of those against Hull KR and Hull FC. Definitely should have won that one against Hull FC.
01:29So I don't think there's any reason to be anxious going into a home quarter-final, but
01:33at the same time, that is a record that's hanging over them at the moment. So they get
01:38that ticked off as for the game itself, I think it's a 50-50 really. I'd back Wakefield
01:44from what I've seen of them so far. I do think they can take that next step and play in semi-finals
01:49and finals. It's just about keeping the composure and keep key moments, which they haven't done
01:56at home yet. But I do think they'll be thereabouts in the Super League. I think they'll be pushing
02:01for the top six by the end of the season and definitely if they can get through this game
02:05on Friday night, there's no reason why they can't go all the way to Wembley. Of course,
02:08they'll only be one game away, but I do see good things in Wakefield's future this season.
02:16Just in terms of Wakefield, just quickly before we move on to the Hull derby, what
02:19is it that stands out for you this season that has made them such a sort of, not a force
02:24to be reckoned with, but of adapt or adapt to the higher level so quickly and so well?
02:29Is it particular individuals or is it just them?
02:34Yeah, I think Mike McMeekhan's made a big difference. Wakefield had a good, strong pack
02:40in the Championship. It's obviously a massive step up going up to the Super League and he's
02:44helped them adapt. He's led from the front, he's played big minutes and he's just all-round
02:51contribution. He's huge. He came in on marquee money and with that comes a lot of responsibility,
02:55but he's standing up to that so far and he's leading from the front. He was given the captaincy
02:59in the off-season and he's really leading the way for Wakefield. So, winning the forward
03:05battle more often than not, even in that game, recent defeat against Hull FC, they dominated
03:10up front. It was just errors that killed them that night, really. So, if they can avoid that
03:16against Leeds, if they can lay the platform they have been laying and respect the ball,
03:21keep the ball and do what they did last week, basically, I think they'll get the win. There's
03:26no reason why they can't win this game.
03:28Yeah, yeah. Moving on to obviously the big one, or certainly the big one for us. You've been
03:32covering it all week. I think actually they were getting in the mood as early as Monday because
03:36that's when they held the media day, wasn't it? Both teams together. It goes without saying,
03:41the history of this fixture, everything that's going on behind it, on and off the pitch,
03:45lots at stake for both teams. But both teams that have started well, perhaps Hull FC, well,
03:52not perhaps, Hull FC obviously more surprisingly doing as well as they are. A lot was already
03:58expected of Hull KR given the season they had last year. Can Hull FC, who have already pulled
04:04off a number of surprises this year, can they pull off perhaps what will be their biggest yet?
04:08They can, but whether they will is a different thing. I don't know. I think the big fear,
04:16if you're a Hull KR fan, is that they're going to lose at some point and they'll be fearing that
04:20it's going to be this week. In the backyard of the bitter rivals, it just happens like that.
04:24Law of averages say you're going to lose at some point. But Hull KR just have a steal about them.
04:29They're not conceding many points. I think they've conceded four in the last, they've conceded one
04:33try in the last three games, which is incredible, really. So, it's going to take a big effort from
04:38Hull FC who are depleted. They're still without quite a few players due to injury. Hull KR without
04:44their first choice, second rowers Rhys Martin and James Batchelor, it has to be said as well. So,
04:48they've got a bit of disruption there. But Hull are without some experienced figures. They're
04:53going to have a lot of experience out there anyway. They've got Aidan Caesar, who's at the top of his
04:58game at the moment, Jordan Ropana, Zach Hardacre looks like he might be fit as well, so that
05:03and John Asiata who broke Hull KR's heart at Wembley in 2023. So, they have got a lot of
05:09experience out there. They haven't got a lot of experience as a group yet in these big games and
05:14in a derby. And that's where I think I have a bit of doubt over Hull, whether they can,
05:20we've got a lot of young kids in there, whether they can handle an occasion like this. Obviously,
05:24Hull KR have been to the grand final last year, the Challenge Cup final I mentioned two years ago.
05:29So, they've got a lot of big game experience. I think that gives them the edge if needed,
05:33they probably didn't looking at how they're playing at the moment. And yeah, the form team
05:39in the competition and the team to beat at the moment, obviously Hull went to Wigan and won in
05:43the last round. I think this might be on form, a step up from that, but they've got home advantage,
05:49they're going to have a full house behind them. So, it's going to be a proper ding dong.
05:54Would Hull KR fans take a loss to their biggest, fiercest rivals in the Challenge Cup quarterfinal
06:03if it meant they would win the Super League grand final?
06:08That's a good question, isn't it? I mean, they ain't got a crystal ball. Obviously,
06:13if it happened this weekend, they'd be pretty peed off for it. Well, for a very long time,
06:19but if we got to end the trophy drought this year, I think they'd take any of the trophies
06:24on offer. I think they'd take the Challenge Cup, they'd take the League Leader's Shield
06:27if it was offered. That's a mark of consistency, isn't it? So, although it doesn't get the same
06:35respect as the other trophies, it's probably the one that shows that you are a top team
06:40and you can do it over a full season. But to answer your question, probably no. It's too
06:46long between, but I'm sure if they were there at Old Trafford in October, the Super League
06:54champions, they'd quickly forget losing this weekend. But for now, they want to win this
06:59game and they don't want to think about losing it.