RFL 1895 Cup
Current season or competition: 2026 RFL 1895 Cup | |
| Sport | Rugby league |
|---|---|
| Formerly known as | Championship Cup |
| Instituted | 2019 |
| Inaugural season | 2019 |
| Number of teams | 21 |
| Nations |  England Wales |
| Holders |  London Broncos (2026) |
| Most titles | (1 title) |
| Broadcast partner | BBC (Final only) SuperLeague+ |
| Related competition | Championship |
The Rugby Football League 1895 Cup is an annual rugby league knockout tournament for clubs in the Championship.
History and format
[edit]There have been many cup competitions for the lower leagues of rugby league. In 2002 the Championship Cup was founded for Championship and League 1 clubs to compete in along with the Challenge Cup, with the aim to give the lower league clubs a competition they can realistically win. The Championship Cup folded in 2013 in anticipation for the 2015 league restructuring. There was no replacement for Championship clubs, though the League 1 Cup ran from 2015-2017 for teams from that league.
2019 tournament
[edit]The new competition, named in honour of the founding of the Northern Union in 1895, was put to the Championship and League 1 clubs 1895, to start in the 2019 season.[1][2] The inaugural 2019 tournament involved a qualifying first round for the eight League 1 clubs which entered, followed by a straight knock-out when the winners of that round joined the twelve Championship sides to make a last-16. The final was played at Wembley on 24 August immediately after the 2019 Challenge Cup final.[3][4]
Covid-19 era
[edit]However, this format lasted only one season as the 2020 competition did not take place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.[5] With Covid-19 still affecting the 2021 season, a new format which merged the early rounds of the tournament with the Challenge Cup was approved. In 2021, the four sides which progressed from the second round of the Challenge Cup also qualified for the 1895 Cup semi-finals.[6] An adapted version of this format was played in 2022 and 2023, to reflect the re-expansion of the Challenge Cup after Covid. In this version, the five qualifiers - including any amateur teams - from the fifth round of the Challenge Cup would qualify for the 1895 Cup. Any teams who reached the sixth round of the Challenge Cup would qualify directly to the semi-finals of the 1895 Cup, with two of the remaining qualified teams drawn into a play-off round before the semi-final stage.[7]
2024 format
[edit]A refreshed format for the 2024 Cup separated it back out from Challenge Cup, as the need to limit games post-Covid was reduced. This format introduced a group stage, into which thirteen Championship and eight League One clubs entered.[8] The group stage consisted of seven groups of three, with winners and the best performing runners-up qualifying for the knock-out competition from the quarter-final stage.[9]
2025 format
[edit]The format was revised again for 2025, becoming a knockout competition. The 11 League One clubs competed in two preliminary rounds to produce four qualifiers to take part in the last 16, where they were joined by the 12 Championship clubs.[10] In the 2026 season, following the merger of League One with the Championship, a similar format was announced for the 2026 competition with three matches in the preliminary round. The three Championship clubs still competing in the Challenge Cup were exempted from the draw for this round.[11]
Results
[edit]
| Season | Winners | Score | Runners-up | Venue | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 |  Sheffield Eagles |
36–18 |  Widnes Vikings |
Wembley Stadium | [12] |
| 2020 | Competition cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 2021 |  Featherstone Rovers |
41–34 |  York City Knights |
Wembley Stadium | [13] |
| 2022 |  Leigh Centurions |
30–16 | Featherstone Rovers |
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium | [14] |
| 2023 |  Halifax Panthers |
12–10 |  Batley Bulldogs |
Wembley Stadium | [15] |
| 2024 |  Wakefield Trinity |
50–6 | Sheffield Eagles |
Wembley Stadium | [16] |
| 2025 | York Knights |
5–4[a] | Featherstone Rovers |
Wembley Stadium | [17] |
| 2026 | London Broncos |
32–10 | Widnes Vikings |
Halliwell Jones Stadium | [18] |
Team performance
[edit]| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Years won | Years runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Featherstone Rovers |
1 | 2 | 2021 | 2022, 2025 |
| Sheffield Eagles |
1 | 1 | 2019 | 2024 |
| York Knights |
1 | 1 | 2025 | 2021[b] |
| Halifax Panthers |
1 | 0 | 2023 | N/A |
| Leigh Centurions |
1 | 0 | 2022 | N/A |
| Wakefield Trinity |
1 | 0 | 2024 | N/A |
| London Broncos |
1 | 0 | 2026 | N/A |
| Widnes Vikings |
0 | 2 | – | 2019, 2026 |
| Batley Bulldogs |
0 | 1 | – | 2023 |
Awards
[edit]In August 2019 the Rugby Football League ran a poll among fans on the Our League app to name a trophy for the man of the match award in the 1895 Cup Final. The three names in the poll were Ray French, Willie Horne and Johnny Whiteley.[19] French won the poll with over 60% of the votes cast and presented the award at the inaugural final on 24 August 2019 to Sheffield's Anthony Thackeray.[20][12]
Award winners
[edit]| Season | Recipient | Team | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Anthony Thackeray | Sheffield Eagles | [12] |
| 2020 | Not awarded – no competition played due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | Craig Hall | Featherstone Rovers | [21] |
| 2022 | Edwin Ipape | Leigh Centurions | [22] |
| 2023 | Louis Jouffret | Halifax Panthers | [23] |
| 2024 | Luke Gale | Wakefield Trinity | [24] |
| 2025 | Liam Harris | York Knights | [25] |
| 2026 | Dean Hawkins | London Broncos | [26] |
Sponsors
[edit]In June 2019 it was announced that the cup would be sponsored by AB Sundecks, owned by former Leigh Centurions chairman Derek Beaumont.[27]
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Golden point
- ↑ as York City Knights
References
[edit]- ↑ "RFL to introduce 1895 Cup as part of new-look Challenge Cup final day". 13 November 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ↑ "1895 Cup will ignite Wembley dream – Rimmer". RL News. 13 November 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ↑ "1895 Cup entrants and details announced". 20 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ↑ "RFL defend decision to play 1895 final after main game". League Weekly. No. 869. 18 March 2019. p. 21.
- ↑ "Betfred Championship and League 1, and AB Sundecks 1895 Cup | Update". www.rugby-league.com. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ↑ "Championship, L1 and Cups structure confirmed". Serious About Rugby League. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ↑ Ibbetson, Stephen (28 February 2022). "Everything you need to know about the Challenge Cup fifth-round draw". Total Rugby League. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
- ↑ Olawumi, Ben. "Cornwall chief explains withdrawal from 1895 Cup, admits 'preference would have been to take part'". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ↑ Olawumi, Ben. "1895 Cup groups and fixtures revealed as tournament gears up for new format in 2024". Love Rugby League. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
- ↑ "AB Sundecks to back 1895 Cup again in 2025". RFL. 22 January 2025. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
- ↑ "The 1895 Cup draw and format confirmed for 2026". RFL. 13 February 2026. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Sheffield Eagles beat Widnes Vikings 36-18 to win inaugural 1895 Cup". BBC Sport. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "1895 Cup: Featherstone Rovers 42 York City Knights 32: Craig Hall stars as 1895 Cup heads to Post Office Road after superb Wembley final". Yorkshire Evening Post. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "1895 Cup: Featherstone Rovers 16-30 Leigh Centurions - Five-try Leigh beat rivals to win cup". BBC Sport. 28 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "1895 Cup final: Batley Bulldogs 10-12 Halifax Panthers". BBC Sport. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "The impressive record set by Wakefield Trinity in 1895 Cup triumph at Wembley". Love Rugby League. 8 June 2024. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ↑ "York pip Featherstone in extra time to win 1895 Cup". BBC Sport. 7 June 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ↑ "London see off spirited Widnes to lift 1895 Cup". BBC Sport. 31 August 2026.
- ↑ "Fans invited to vote for who 1895 Cup man of the match award should be named after". Love Rugby League. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ↑ "New trophy named in recognition of Ray French". Love Rugby League. 15 August 2019. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
- ↑ Pattison, Cam (17 July 2021). "Ex-Hull FC star becomes second ever winner of Ray French Award". Serious About Rugby League. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ↑ "Saturday's 1895 Cup win made sacrifice worth it for Leigh's Edwin Ipape". Leigh Journal. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ "Golden boy Lam the overwhelming choice for Lance Todd Trophy". RFL. 13 August 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ "'Cheesed off' Luke Gale jokes orange boots sealed man of match award as Wakefield Trinity lift 1895 Cup". Yorkshire Evening Post. 8 June 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ "York Knights secure first ever win at Wembley in the 2025 AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final". RFL. 7 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2026.
- ↑ Ben Olawumi (31 August 2026). "1895 Cup final attendance revealed as London secure more silverware with IMG snag". Love Rugby League.
- ↑ "Beaumont backs 1895 Cup as new title partner". 31 May 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
External links
[edit]- 1895 Cup: Rugby Football League
