The rich history of European rugby’s second-tier competition dates back to the onset of the professional era, and it is here to entertain once again. This year’s competition, with 18 teams divided into three pools, which has a schedule akin to the European Rugby Champions Cup, will begin this Friday when Clermont hosts Edinburgh.
The group stage will take place across four weekends, with the final one taking place on Friday, January 19. From here the quarterfinals unfold after the round of 16 is completed over three days starting on April 5, with the four clubs who placed fifth in their Champions Cup pools joining the four qualifiers from each group in the round of 16. Following this, the semi-finals take place between May 3-5, culminating in the final at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday, May 24.
The Challenge Cup has always been a thrilling competition, with 18 different winners in the 27 previous editions highlighting the unpredictability of the tournament. Who will come out on top this year? We break down the latest odds from bookmaker bet365 and outline the best bets to make ahead of this year’s tournament.
The Wigan Warriors, with odds of 3.50, are the favourites among those teams starting the tournament. However, that is likely to change once the teams from the Champions Cup drop to the knockout stage. Despite that, the 2022 winners will believe they have a strong chance to repeat their glory in this season’s final on May 24th.
St. Helens, coming off an interesting domestic season, also have decent odds of 6.00 to go all the way. The French outfit went to the semi-finals in last year’s edition and will be looking for the elusive crown this year and considering their strength in depth, the team can be a very good bet. Leeds Rhinos, with odds of 7.00, and Catalan Dragons, who sit at 8.00, are the other two favourites, according to the oddsmakers. Neither team qualified for the knock-outs last year, but they both would be hoping to make this year their own.
The fact that none of last year’s finalists are among the top three favourites speaks volumes about how quickly the rugby landscape changes. Defending champions Leigh Leopards will be looking to retain their crown amidst all the adversity but will be hard pressed given their recent form, while runner-ups Hull KR have will be looking to defy their odds of 11.00 as well and go one better this year.
Among the dark horses who can really reward their faithful are last year’s quarter-finalists Hull FC, with odds of 15.00 and Salford Red Devils, who sit on 21.00. They have favourable odds when considering their chances, especially factoring in the unpredictable nature of the tournament. Ultimately, there will be a lot of factors like home/away form and outside pressure that will dictate results, and keeping a close eye on those will be the winning formula when betting.
