Rugby League 1895 Cup Adopts New Format with Group Stages in 2024
(January 1, 2024 – BBC Sport)
The 1895 Cup, a prestigious rugby league competition, is set to undergo a significant format change in 2024 as 21 Championship and League 1 clubs participate in the tournament.
The new format will feature group stages, with seven groups of three clubs, geographically pooled, competing in a round-robin format. Notably, when a Championship club faces a League 1 club in the group stages, the team from the third tier will have home advantage.
After each club has played their two group games, the seven group winners will automatically progress to the quarter-finals, with the best-performing second-placed team also securing a spot in the last eight. From the quarter-finals onwards, the 1895 Cup will adopt a traditional knockout format, culminating in the final at Wembley on June 8, the same day as the Challenge Cup final.
Since the competition’s inaugural year in 2019, four different Championship clubs have lifted the trophy: Sheffield Eagles, Featherstone Rovers, Leigh Centurions, and most recently, Halifax Panthers. In last year’s final, Halifax, under the leadership of Simon Grix in his final season, emerged victorious over Batley Bulldogs.
The group games for the 2024 edition will commence over the weekend of January 27 & 28, and the article will be updated with all the fixtures and results as the tournament progresses.
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