Wigan discover Challenge Cup opponents

Shaun Wane's Wigan have been drawn away at Championship outfit Swinton in the Challenge Cup.
Wigan beat Hull FC at Wembley to win their last Challenge Cup final four years agoWigan beat Hull FC at Wembley to win their last Challenge Cup final four years ago
Wigan beat Hull FC at Wembley to win their last Challenge Cup final four years ago

The sixth-round draw, made tonight on the BBC News channel, saw last year’s top-eight enter the knock-out competition.

Interestingly, Wigan have a link with Swinton and often let their fringe players turn out for the Lions on dual-registration. Two Warriors players, Josh Woods and Caine Barnes, played for Swinton at the weekend and were praised by coach John Duffy for their “outstanding” contribution in helping them beat Super League outfit Huddersfield.

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Their meeting is scheduled to take place on the weekend of May 13-14 (although Sky Sports are also screening two matches, on Thursday 11th and Friday 12th).

There is one all-Championsho tie, between Featherstone and Halifax, which guarantees one of them a place in the quarter-finals. Of Wigan’s main Super League rivals, Leeds have been drawn against Barrow, the lowest-ranked club left in the competition, while Castleford meet St Helens.

If Wigan progress to the quarter-finals, and get a home tie on June 17-18, it is believed they will need to take the match elsewhere to accommodate annual pitch maintenance work at the DW Stadium.

Warriors won the last of their 19 Challenge Cup finals in 2013 – beating Hull FC on their way to a memorable double.

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Since then, they have not reached the final, with Hull FC knocking them out in the semi-final last year on the way to a final win.
Challenge Cup sixth round draw: Leeds v Barrow, Salford v Hull KR, Castleford v St Helens, Featherstone v Halifax, Hull FC v Catalans, Dewsbury v Wakefield, Swinton v Wigan, Warrington v Widnes.