St Helens and Leeds Betfred Challenge Cup ties to be screened live on The Sportsman

St Helens and Leeds Rhinos, two of the biggest names in world rugby league, will be featured live on The Sportsman this weekend as the Betfred Challenge Cup action continues in the third round of this season’s competition.

With 27 cup triumphs between them, the Super League pair will both be looking to see off Betfred Championship opposition in two magnificent fixtures over Friday and Saturday.

First up on Friday, the 13-time champions St Helens get their 2026 campaign underway at Workington Town’s Derwent Park home in a classic example of the cup’s unparalleled magic.

Town are 30 years removed from their single Super League season back in the summer competition’s first edition. But they will be licking their lips at the prospect of knocking off one of the biggest clubs in the sport in Saints coach Paul Rowley’s first official game in charge.

Rowley left the troubled Salford Red Devils at the end of 2025 to take over from Paul Wellens at the Brewdog Stadium. And the pressure will be on Saints to impress in their first run-out complete with new signings such as Jackson Hastings, David Klemmer and Nene Macdonald.

That game gets underway at 19:30 GMT, with coverage begin of The Sportsman Rugby League YouTube channel at 19:15.

Then on Saturday, The Sportsman hosts the tie of the round as the Widnes Vikings take on Leeds Rhinos at the DCBL Stadium.

The Vikings were one of the sport’s greatest outfits in the 1970s and 1980s, with their back-to-back league titles in 1988 and 1989 coming at a time when they boasted some of the best players in the game such as Martin Offiah, Kurt Sorensen and Jonathan Davies.

And the seven-time former winners get to be under the spotlight once more on Saturday when the Rhinos come to town as one of the favourites to succeed reigning champions Hull KR in 2026.

Brad Arthur’s side were the Super League’s great entertainers towards the end of last season and much is expected of them this time around. But a trip to Cheshire first up makes for an intriguing beginning to their campaign.

Sunday’s clash kicks off at 15:00 GMT, with coverage beginning at 14:45 on The Sportsman Rugby League. Click here to subscribe.

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