Attendances in the Challenge Cup often fall under the microscope more than in Super League – and this weekend appears to be no exception in that regard.
Eight ties took place – but at the time of writing, only four of the hosting clubs have been in a position to actually declare their home crowds. The Rugby Football League did not even have the data after being contacted by Love Rugby League over the weekend.
That means this week’s attendance picture is slightly more mudded than usual. Here’s the full breakdown..
The four undeclared ties..
As mentioned, four teams have not confirmed what the crowds were at their Challenge Cup ties – the RFL are likely to be in a position on Monday to do that once the ground safety reports reach the governing body.
Those games are York Knights v Keighley Cougars, Castleford Tigers v St Helens, Catalans Dragons v Oldham and arguably the most intriguing of them all, Huddersfield Giants v Hull KR.
That will be especially of note given the low attendance among home supporters at the Accu Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Wakefield Trinity 24-14 Leeds Rhinos: 7,136
A lower-than-usual crowd for a game between Wakefield and Leeds these days – but it’s perhaps important to consider that as recently as a couple of years ago, Trinity weren’t getting crowds like this at any game, let alone cup ones.
With that said, it’s perhaps fair to say that Wakefield fall into the more impressive attendances this week as they look to build their fanbase. Wins like the one on Friday will do them no harm.
Wigan Warriors 30-6 Bradford Bulls: 9,997
The standout crowd of the weekend, as practically 10,000 fans watched Wigan coast past the Bulls to move into the quarter-finals. Credit must go to the Warriors for making tickets affordable and, compared to usual prices, cut-price. It resulted in a decent take-up, with this the biggest attendance at this stage of the competition post-pandemic.
Goole Vikings 10-76 Warrington Wolves: 3,195
The game was played at the Halliwell Jones Stadium due to Goole’s Victoria Pleasure Grounds venue being unavailable due to redevelopment. It yielded a crowd of just over 3,000 fans – which will have earned the Vikings a decent pay-day.
Leigh Leopards 16-6 Hull FC: 5,535
The last crowd we know of from the weekend’s eight games came at the Leigh Sports Village, as over 5,500 fans watched the 2023 winners progress to the last eight.