Featherstone Rovers up for the Cup challenge at Catalans Dragons

Rovers want to be playing top-flight opposition every week next year and get an opportunity to measure themselves against one of the best at Catalans Dragons this afternoon.

It is a tough task for the Betfred Championship outfit, particularly away from home, but player/assistant-coach Cuthbertson - a Challenge Cup winner with Leeds Rhinos in 2015 and 2020 - is confident they will give a good account of themselves.

“It’s an opportunity for us in terms of getting a true gauge of where we’re at as a squad,” he said.

“It will be a good change of scenery and the Challenge Cup always throws challenges at you. That’s what’s so exciting.

“The boys are looking forward to getting over there and seeing what we can do against a good team.”

Rovers’ 100 per cent record ended when they drew at Batley Bulldogs last week, but they are unbeaten this year in all competitions and Cuthbertson insisted: “We have got the firepower when we’ve got our full one-17.

“We’ve got the likes of Joey Leilua back this week, but with the players we’ve got - and them wanting to react to last weekend - it definitely puts us in a position where we can go and challenge a Super League team.”

He added: “We have got a bit of confidence from the beginning of the year, when we came up against Wakefield and managed to get a victory.

“It was a trial, but it still helps to show we can beat a Super League team and they have proven to be no easy-beats this year, with their results over the last couple of weeks.

“There are signs and a true belief within the squad that, if we go over there and get it right, anything can happen.

“That’s the magic of the Challenge Cup. I have been on the harsher end of it, from Bradford when we came up against them in 2018, so anything is possible. That puts into perspective what the Challenge Cup brings.”

After leaving Leeds at the end of 2020, Cuthbertson spent last year with York City Knights before signing for Rovers.

He said: “It has been really good, it has been challenging for myself, getting the balance of being a player and coach.

“It is really exciting; coming to the end of my career it has given me a taste of what it can be like post-rugby. I could not have asked for anything better.”

The move to Rovers reunited Cuthbertson with his former Leeds Rhinos coach Brian McDermott.

He said: “As a player, he really helped me with my confidence and getting back to playing some decent footy.

“As a coach, there’s so much you can learn from him.

“He has a wealth of experience, coached in a lot of big games and won a lot of trophies.

“It has been a really good lesson and I am absorbing as much as I can.

“Him being a good mate makes it a bit easier.”

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