Leeds Rhinos target Wheelchair Challenge Cup double after BBC pledge live coverage

Rhinos are the current men’s, women’s and wheelchair Challenge Cup holders.

Skipper James Simpson scored two tries when Leeds beat Kent side Argonaut Skeleton Army 74-46 at English Institute of Sport, in Sheffield, last year to lift the trophy for the first time, in their third successive final.

“I just hope we get there,” he said of the 2021 showpiece.

“It being on the box, I could not think of anything better.”

The Rugby Football League yesterday (Tuesday) announced a “new three-year enhanced agreement” which extends the BBC’s Challenge Cup coverage until 2024.

The wheelchair cup final will be shown live on the broadcaster’s digital platforms for the first time.

The BBC will also provide live coverage of the next four women’s finals, having featured last year’s decider - when Rhinos repeated their 2018 victory over Castleford Tigers - via their red button service.

They will also continue to broadcast two matches from the round of 16 and quarter-finals of the men’s competition, plus both semi-finals and the Wembley finale, as well as online and digital coverage of earlier rounds.

The women’s and wheelchair games are growth areas for rugby league and Simpson described the new deal - along with the BBC’s commitment to all three competitions at next year’s World Cup, for which he is an ambassador - as “absolutely massive”.

He said: “A lot has changed over the last couple of years and this now is really exciting.

“We started with people putting games on Facebook, then [RFL website] Our League and now we are having the Challenge Cup final on the BBC.

“Going into the World Cup, it is awesome. Everyone agrees how good the BBC’s coverage of rugby league is and having that kind of coverage for the wheelchair game is amazing.

“I am excited about how good it is going to be.”

Rhinos women - who are also Super League champions - did not play at all this year, because of the coronavirus pandemic and the wheelchair side were limited to just one game, in March.

Simpson is hopeful of a full season being completed in 2021 before the World Cup, which England have genuine hopes of winning.

“This is just me - I haven’t been told this - but I think we will be back in March or April,” Simpson predicted.

“We’ve seen some indoor sport starting again, netball is back training and playing so hopefully we can’t be too far away.

“I think we’ll get up and running and have a really good domestic season next year.”

Simpson added: “It is a six-team league at the top, with the Challenge Cup on top of that. If you go all the way, you are only playing 13 or 14 games so even if we do start a bit later we will easily get 14 games in before the World Cup.”

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