Rugby League Challenge Cup
On Friday 12th February the Rugby League Challenge cup came to George Stephenson. The prestigious trophy was placed in the dining hall at break time. Some pupils (and staff) even had the opportunity to lift the trophy and have their pictures taken with it.
The Challenge Cup (as of 2009 known as the Carnegie Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs in Europe, organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams, but in recent years the entry has been expanded to allow teams from France and to take part.
It has been held annually since 1896, with the exception of the duration of World War I and it involves amateur, semi-professional and professional clubs, though lower-ranked teams rarely reach the final stages of the competition. For the 2007 competition ninety-four teams entered the tournament.
In previous years the competition has been known as the Silk Cut Challenge Cup, Kellogg's Nutrigrain Challenge Cup and the Powergen Challenge Cup, but for the beginning of 2007 the cup was named after the competition's primary partner Leeds Metropolitan University's Carnegie Faculty of Sport and Education.The current holders of the Challenge Cup are Warrington Wolves who defeated Huddersfield Giants 25-16 on 29 August 2009 at Wembley Stadium.
