Challenge Cup Sixth Round - Friday: Wigan 20-0 Salford; Saturday - Sheffield 12-58 Hull FC, Whitehaven 4-46 St Helens, Catalans Dragons 27-14 Featherstone Rovers, Hull KR 24-18 Leigh Centurions, Leeds Rhinos 16-40 Castleford Tigers; Sunday: Warrington vs Wakefield, Barrow vs Huddersfield
Saturday 26 March 2022 20:13, UK
Recap Saturday's Challenge Cup action as Hull FC, St Helens, Catalans Dragons, Hull KR and Castleford Tigers booked quarter-final places.
A Jake Connor masterclass and Connor Wynne hat-trick helped Hull FC ease into the Betfred Challenge Cup quarter-finals for the eighth season in a row following a 58-12 victory over Championship side Sheffield Eagles.
The Black and Whites, five times winners of the competition, ran in 11 tries to end a brief cup run which had previously taken their part-time opponents past amateurs Hunslet Club Parkside and League One North outfit Wales Crusaders.
The ever evasive and inventive Connor crossed twice, Wynne went in for his treble while Adam Swift, Andre Savelio, Josh Griffin, Carlos Tuimavave, Mitieli Vulikijapani and Jordan Lane all scored for Hull.
Sheffield, most famous for their shock cup final victory over Wigan in 1998, managed to breach the Black and Whites' line twice through Kris Welham and Tom Holmes.
The tie, played at Featherstone's Millennium Stadium due to the Eagles' new Olympic Legacy Park Stadium not being completed until late May, pitched against each other coaches Mark Aston and Brett Hodgson who had both, during their playing days, won the Lance Todd Trophy man of the match award in winning Challenge Cup final teams.
Holders St Helens overcame stout resistance from Championship part-timers Whitehaven to secure their place in the last eight of the Betfred Challenge Cup with a 46-4 sixth-round win at the LEL Arena.
Fresh from a shock defeat by Super League's bottom club Toulouse, the champions had a few uneasy moments in the early stages as the plucky Cumbrians gave their all.
But Saints' extra fitness and finesse eventually proved too much for the home side as they brushed off the absence of five first-choice players to cruise through in third gear with eight different tryscorers.
Wales international Regan Grace made his first appearance of the season after recovering from a bicep injury sustained in pre-season training but he was unable to get among the scorers and came off 10 minutes from the end with what appeared to be an injury to his left foot.
Cumbrian forward Kyle Amor, who began his career at Whitehaven, did get among the tries and winger Tommy Makinson succeeded with seven of his eight attempts at goal.
Catalans were pushed all the way by a spirited Featherstone in Perpignan and left it late to book their place in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a hard-fought 27-14 win.
Tries in the last 20 minutes from Tyrone May and Tom Davies spared the Dragons' blushes against a rugged and resilient Rovers.
The Super League side did not have it all their own way and it took a second-half fightback to secure cup progress after they trailed 10-8 at the break.
Tony Smith's future as Hull KR coach may be open to speculation but his side's place in the Betfred Challenge Cup quarter-finals is guaranteed after a hard-fought 24-18 victory over Championship side Leigh Centurions.
Leigh's late salvo put the outcome in doubt until the final hooter leaving the Super League side grateful for an inspired second quarter to take control of this sixth-round tie and fourth competition meeting between the teams in five years.
Smith, tipped as a potential candidate to replace Richard Agar as head coach at former club Leeds Rhinos, might not have been too worried by Leigh's encouraging opening and frantic finale.
But the 2015 Wembley runners-up needed the inspiration of half-back Mikey Lewis to turn the tie in their favour.
Castleford destroyed Leeds Rhinos in the final tie of Saturday, as they notched seven tries in a 40-16 victory at Headingley - a first Tigers Challenge Cup success over Leeds since 1998.
The Tigers, beaten finalists in last season's Challenge Cup, ran in five unanswered tries before half-time to leave the interval score 28-0.
Leeds responded via two Rhyse Martin tries to reduce the deficit to 18 points, but Greg Eden struck twice for Cas to secure a Challenge Cup victory.
Holders St Helens will take on Catalans Dragons in the quarter-finals of the Betfred Challenge Cup.
The tie, which is a repeat of the 2021 Super League Grand Final won by Saints, will take place in Perpignan and be played on the weekend of April 8-10.
It is the highlight of the draw, which was made at half-time during the Leeds-Castleford sixth-round tie.
The Dragons' only defeat so far this year was a 28-8 loss to Saints in the opening round but St Helens have not won in Perpignan since 2018, the year the French club lifted the cup at Wembley.
Warrington, who were Wembley winners in 2019, will have a home quarter-final against Wigan if they beat Wakefield on Sunday.
Quarter-final ties: Warrington or Wakefield v Wigan, Hull KR v Leeds or Castleford, Barrow or Huddersfield v Hull FC, Catalans Dragons v St Helens.
