2022 RFL 1895 Cup

The 2022 RFL 1895 Cup, known as the 2022 AB Sundecks 1895 Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the third playing of the RFL 1895 Cup, a rugby league football competition for clubs in the United Kingdom. The competition is for clubs who play below the top-tier Super League, with amateur clubs joining lower-tier professional clubs in qualification for the first time.[1] The competition was played from April to May 2022. The final was played as a curtain raiser to the 2022 Challenge Cup Final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London on 28 May 2022.

2022 RFL 1895 Cup
Duration3 rounds + qualifying
Number of teams5
Winners Leigh Centurions
Runners-up Featherstone Rovers
Ray French Award Edwin Ipape

Format and eligibility

All professional RFL member clubs below the Super League are eligible to participate in the 1895 Cup, as well as those amateur teams which entered the Challenge Cup. Newly formed Cornwall R.L.F.C. who play in League 1 decided not to enter the competition.[2]

The 2021 competition had run with an altered format due to the disruption caused to that season by the COVID-19 pandemic. Under these changes, the early rounds of the 2021 Challenge Cup served as the opening rounds of the 1895 Cup, with the four teams which progressed from round 2 of the Challenge Cup also becoming semi-finalists of the 1895 Cup.[3] That format was popular among teams, and so the 2022 tournament returned with an adapted version of that, reflecting the re-formatting of the Challenge Cup to facilitate the re-entry of amateur sides to that tournament.[3][1]

This adapted format for 2022 saw five teams progress from round 5 of the Challenge Cup, and hence qualify for the 1895 Cup.[1] Any Championship, League 1 or amateur team that subsequently won in round 6 of the Challenge Cup would qualify automatically for the semi-finals of the 1895 Cup.[4] However, none of the five teams that reached round 6 of the Challenge Cup won. This fixed the format for the 1895 Cup with two of the five qualifiers competing in a play-off match on 9/10 April, to reduce the number of teams to four for the semi-finals on the 7/8 May, with the final held on the 28 May.[1]

Qualification
Main article: 2022 Challenge Cup

The five teams who won in the fifth round of the Challenge Cup, and therefore qualified for the 1895 Cup, were Sheffield Eagles, Barrow Raiders, Featherstone Rovers, Whitehaven and Leigh Centurions.

The draw for the play-off match and the semi-finals was made on 28 March.[5][6]

Play-off round

Due to ongoing building work at Sheffield's ground, the match was played at Featherstone Rovers's stadium.[7]

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Attendance
Sheffield Eagles 40–60 Whitehaven 9 April 2022, 14:00 Post Office Road A. Moore
Source:[8]

Semi-finals

Barrow, Featherstone and Leigh all received a bye to this round.[6]

Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Attendance
Barrow Raiders 06–46 Featherstone Rovers 8 May 2022, 14:00 Craven Park T. Grant 1,804
Leigh Centurions 30–12 Sheffield Eagles 8 May 2022, 16:00 Leigh Sports Village N. Bennett
Source:

Final
Home Score Away Match Information
Date and Time Venue Referee Attendance
Featherstone Rovers 16–30 Leigh Centurions 28 May 2022, 12:00 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium L. Moore 4,350
Source:[6]

References
  1. Kilbride, Jacob. "New format for the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup from next season". York Press. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  2. "Toulouse Olympique and Cornwall opt out of Challenge Cup as amateur entrants revealed". TotalRL.com. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
  3. Ibbetson, Stephen. "Everything you need to know about the Challenge Cup fifth-round draw". Total Rugby League. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  4. "Barrow 16-30 Huddersfield: Giants survive Challenge Cup sixth-round scare in Cumbria". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  5. Derbyshire, Drew. "1895 Cup: Draw made for play-off and semi-finals". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
  6. "Club Statement: Whitehaven and London home fixtures". Sheffield Eagles. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  7. Pattison, Cam. "Sheffield Eagles book semi-final clash with Leigh Centurions". Serious About RL. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
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