Challenge Cup 2017 Odds and Preview – Rugby League Betting

Devils and the Wolfpack is the pick of Challenge Cup ties

Rugby Betting

This year’s Ladbrokes Challenge Cup is already at the fifth-round stage but it is only now that we see the appearance of Super League clubs – and only four at that!

One of them, however, is involved in the most intriguing tie of the round with Canadian newcomers Toronto Wolfpack travelling to the AJ Bell Stadium to take on Salford Devils.

Salford, owned by larger-than-life character Dr Marwan Koukash, have to enter the competition at the fifth-round stage after finishing in the bottom four of Super League in 2016. But the Devils have made a much more promising start to the 2017 season and, last Sunday, became the first team to beat Castleford.

Salford and Toronto had an intensive training session together in pre-season and Devils’ coach Ian Watson says his team could have not have been handed a tougher draw at this stage of the competition. Salford have only won the Challenge Cup once, in 1938, and haven’t reached the final in almost 50 years.  The sponsors have priced them up at 25/1 this season while Toronto are 250/1 to win the trophy at the first attempt with Betfred.

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The Wolfpack began their first-ever Challenge Cup campaign with a narrow win over Halifax amateurs Siddal in the third round before knocking out Championship club London Broncos in Ealing last Friday and are already at the top of the League 1. Toronto director of rugby Brian Noble won the Challenge Cup as coach of Bradford but is under no illusion of the task facing his new team, “It’s a fabulous tie, we’ll look forward to that.”, he told reporters, “They’re a top-six Super League team who are playing really well and have a smattering of stars. We’re clearly the underdogs but we want to put a marker down.”

Salford were joined in the draw by newly-promoted Leigh Centurions who will play Hull KR, the side they replaced in Super League, and Leeds, who won the Cup back-to-back at Wembley in 2014 and 2015. The Rhinos, 13-times winners but 14/1 with Ladbrokes this year, have been paired with League 1 club Doncaster (5000/1 with Betfred).

Huddersfield Giants are the other Super League team involved at this stage and are at home to Championship side Swinton. Hull FC will begin their defence at the sixth-round stage along with the other seven Super League clubs and the Airlie Birds are a general 6/1 at present.

Ladbrokes Challenge Cup fifth-round draw: Leigh v Hull KR, Featherstone v Oldham, Leeds v Doncaster, Salford v Toronto, Whitehaven or Oxford v Halifax, Dewsbury v Batley, Huddersfield v Swinton, York v Barrow.

Challenge Cup 2017 Current Best Odds

Wigan (9/2), Castleford (5/1), Warrington (11/2), Hull FC (6/1), St Helens (8/1), Leeds (14/1), Catalans (16/1), Huddersfield and Salford (25/1), Leigh (40/1), Wakefield (50/1), Widnes (100/1), Hull KR (150/1), Toronto (250/1)