2023 Women's Challenge Cup
| Duration | Group stage plus three knockout rounds |
|---|---|
| Number of teams | 16 |
| Broadcast partners | BBC Sport |
| Biggest home win | York Valkyrie 122–0 Hull KR (7 May 2023) |
| Biggest away win | Castleford Tigers 0–106 St Helens (7 May 2023) |
The 2023 Women's Challenge Cup (known for sponsorship reasons as the 2023 Betfred Women's Challenge Cup) was the 11th staging of the Rugby Football League's cup competition for women's rugby league clubs.
Format
[edit]The competition used the same format as in 2022 with four groups of four competing in a single round robin with group winners and runners-up advancing to the knockout rounds. The group stage draw took place on 12 January.[1]
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
Group stage
[edit]The fixture list for the group stage was published on 16 February 2023.[2]
| Group | Home | Score | Away | Match Information | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | ||||
| 1 | Salford Red Devils | 8–22 | Featherstone Rovers | 23 April, 12:00 | AJ Bell Stadium | J. Pemberton |
| Cardiff Demons | 20–38 | Wigan Warriors | 23 April, 14:00 | Cardiff University Sports Fields | R. Apsee | |
| 2 | Leeds Rhinos | 72–0 | Bradford Bulls | 23 April, 13:00 | Weetwood Sports Park | F. Lincoln |
| Oulton Raidettes | 4–54 | Huddersfield Giants | 23 April, 14:00 | Oulton Sports Pavilion | M. Mckelvey | |
| 3 | London Broncos | 0–76 | St Helens | 22 April, 14:00 | The Rock, Roehampton | H. Winnard |
| Castleford Tigers | 0–72 | Warrington Wolves | 23 April, 14:00 | Mend-a-Hose Jungle | A. Rhodes | |
| 4 | Barrow Raiders | 4–44 | York Valkyrie | 23 April, 14:00 | Craven Park, Barrow-in-Furness | J. Hughes |
| Hull Kingston Rovers | 16–38 | Leigh Leopards | 23 April; 14:00 | Craven Park, Hull | D. Frederick | |
| Source:[3] | ||||||
| Group | Home | Score | Away | Match Information | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | ||||
| 1 | Featherstone Rovers | 10–12 | Wigan Warriors | 7 May; 12:00 | Post Office Road | C. Hughes |
| Salford Red Devils | 8–12 | Cardiff Demons | 7 May; 13:00 | Moor Lane | S. Houghton | |
| 2 | Bradford Bulls | 12–32 | Huddersfield Giants | 7 May; 14:00 | Horsfall Stadium | M. Clayton |
| Oulton Raidettes | 0–48[a] | Leeds Rhinos | — | |||
| 3 | Castleford Tigers | 0–106 | St Helens | 7 May; 14:00 | Mend-a-Hose Jungle | D. Geddes |
| Warrington Wolves | 64–10 | London Broncos | 7 May; 14:00 | Victoria Park | O. Ireland | |
| 4 | York Valkyrie | 122–0 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 7 May; 12:00 | York Community Stadium | B. Worsley |
| Leigh Leopards | 30–22 | Barrow Raiders | 7 May; 14:00 | Twist Lane | L. Flavell | |
| Source:[5] | ||||||
| Group | Home | Score | Away | Match Information | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | ||||
| 1 | Cardiff Demons | 36–18 | Featherstone Rovers | 21 May; 14:00 | Cardiff University Sports Fields | R. Apsee |
| Wigan Warriors | 60–0 | Salford Red Devils | 21 May; 14:00 | Robin Park | S. Houghton | |
| 2 | Huddersfield Giants | 0–54 | Leeds Rhinos | 21 May; 14:00 | Laund Hill | J. Covell-Wood |
| Bradford Bulls | 38–6 | Oulton Raidettes | 21 May; 17:15 | Odsal Stadium | A. Rhodes | |
| 3 | London Broncos | 40–4 | Castleford Tigers | 21 May; 14:00 | The Rock, Roehampton | |
| St Helens | 38–4 | Warrington Wolves | 21 May; 14:00 | Totally Wicked Stadium | L. Flavell | |
| 4 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 11–20 | Barrow Raiders | 21 May; 14:00 | Craven Park, Hull | |
| Leigh Leopards | 0–54 | York Valkyrie | 21 May; 14:00 | Twist Lane | ||
| Source:[6][7][8] | ||||||
Standings
[edit]| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Wigan Warriors
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 110 | 30 | +80 | 6 | Advance to knock-out stages |
| 2 |  Cardiff Demons
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 64 | +4 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Featherstone Rovers
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 56 | −6 | 2 | |
| 4 |  Salford Red Devils
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 16 | 94 | −78 | 0 |
Source: [citation needed]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Leeds Rhinos
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 174 | 0 | +174 | 6 | Advance to knock-out stages |
| 2 |  Huddersfield Giants
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 86 | 70 | +16 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Bradford Bulls
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 110 | −60 | 2 | |
| 4 |  Oulton Raidettes
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 140 | −130 | 0 |
Source: [citation needed]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  St Helens
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 220 | 4 | +216 | 6 | Advance to knock-out stages |
| 2 |  Warrington Wolves
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 140 | 48 | +92 | 4 | |
| 3 |  London Broncos
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 144 | −94 | 2 | |
| 4 |  Castleford Tigers
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 218 | −214 | 0 |
Source: [citation needed]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  York Valkyrie
|
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 224 | 4 | +220 | 6 | Advance to knock-out stages |
| 2 |  Leigh Leopards
|
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 68 | 96 | −28 | 4 | |
| 3 |  Barrow Raiders
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 46 | 85 | −39 | 2 | |
| 4 |  Hull Kingston Rovers
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 180 | −153 | 0 |
Source: [citation needed]
Quarter-finals
[edit]The draw for the quarter-finals was made live on BBC Radio Five, on 26 May.[9] Ties took place over the weekend of 17–18 June.
| Home | Score | Away | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
| Leeds Rhinos
|
54–0 | Leigh Leopards
|
17 June, 13:00 | Headingley Stadium | ||
| Wigan Warriors
|
46–10 | Huddersfield Giants
|
18 June, 11:30 | Robin Park Arena | ||
| St Helens
|
36–0 | Warrington Wolves
|
18 June, 12:30 | Totally Wicked Stadium | ||
| York Valkyrie
|
54–0 | Cardiff Demons
|
18 June, 14:00 | York Community Stadium | ||
| Source:[10] | ||||||
Semi-finals
[edit]Ties took place over the weekend of 22–23 July, each being part of a double header with one of the men's semi-finals; St Helens v York was played with the Leigh v St Helens men's game and Wigan v Leeds was played with the Hull KR v Wigan men's game. Both of the women's matches were broadcast live on the BBC Sport website.[11]
| Team A | Score | Team B | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
| St Helens
|
17–16 | York Valkyrie
|
22 July, 11:45 | Halliwell Jones Stadium | A. Belafonte | 12,113[b] |
| Wigan Warriors
|
4–16 | Leeds Rhinos
|
23 July, 14:15 | Headingley | E. Burrow | 10,926[c] |
| Source:[12] | ||||||
Final
[edit]On 12 August 2022, the RFL announced that the Women's Challenge Cup Final would make its Wembley debut, and be played as a double header with the men's final. The final was played on 12 August 2023.[13]
| Team 1 | Score | Team 2 | Match Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date and Time | Venue | Referee | Attendance | |||
| Leeds Rhinos
|
8–22 | St Helens
|
12 August 2023, 12:00 | Wembley Stadium | J. Vella | |
| Source:[14] | ||||||
Broadcast matches
[edit]| Round | Match | Date | Broadcast method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final | Leeds Rhinos v St Helens | 12 August 2023 | Broadcast live on BBC Two |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Challenge Cup 2023: Draw details for women's and men's competitions as St Helens and Wigan Warriors defend titles". Sky Sports. 12 January 2023.
- ^ "Betfred Women's Challenge Cup: Our League to stream Cardiff Demons versus Wigan Warriors". RFL. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
- ^ "Women's Challenge Cup: Round-up". Rugby Leaguer & League Express. No. 3376. 24 April 2023. pp. 24–25.
- ^ "Challenge Cup tie awarded to Leeds Rhinos after opponents fail to raise a team". Yorkshire Evening Post. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
- ^ "Women's Challenge Cup Round-up | Sunday 7 May". RFL. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Cardiff Demons join big guns in Cup Quarter-Final draw". RFL. 22 May 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Hull KR Women 11 – 20 Barrow". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Bradford 28 – 6 Oulton Raidettes". Sky Sports. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "BBC Radio 5 Live to broadcast Betfred Women's Challenge Cup Quarter Final draw". RFL. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
- ^ "Betfred Women's Challenge Cup Quarter Finals Round-Up". RFL. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Venues and broadcast details confirmed for Betfred Challenge Cup Semi-Finals". www.rugby-league.com. RFL. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
- ^ "Betfred Women's Challenge Cup Final Preview". RFL. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Challenge Cup final to return to Wembley in 2023". BBC Sport. 12 August 2022.
- ^ "Women's Challenge Cup final: Leeds Rhinos 8-22 St Helens - Saints win third title in first-ever Wembley final". BBC Sport. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 11 January 2023.