Four sides find themselves just 80 minutes from place at Wembley following the Betfred Challenge Cup Quarter Finals at the weekend.
And we’ve taken a look at some of the standouts stats from an action-packed cup round (All stats provided by Opta)…
Firstly, three out of the four ties ended in a 20-12 scoreline, whilst the Hull Derby had the highest number of points scored, with a final result of 32-16.
It was Catalans Dragons and Leigh Leopards who became the first two teams to book their spot in the semi-finals on Friday night.
In the Dragons' Challenge Cup tie against Salford Red Devils, possession was almost evenly split with 48% to 52% - highlighting the closeness of the encounter over in Perpignan.
Similarly, in the Hull Derby, the sides shared an event split of possession (50%), but Hull KR managed to complete 29 sets to Hull FC's 24. This is arguably a surprise stat, considering the Robins scored sixteen more points than their opponents and posed much more of an attacking threat.
The other two cup ties also saw the hosts with a 51% possession rate to to the visitors' 49% - again showcasing some tightly contested clashes in the 2025 quarter-finals, with little to separate the sides.
Dragon Oli Partington made the most tackles (40) against his former club.
In Leigh and Wakefield Trinity’s thriller at the DIY Kitchens Stadium, a dangerous Tesi Niu stole the show with a truly stellar performance.
His rampaging run from the scrum resulted in a game-changing and terrific try to put Leigh level, as he bumped off numerous Wakefield defenders to touch down.
Niu was unstoppable all game with a total of 172 metres in 18 runs, as well as seven tackle busts.
In defeat, young talent Oli Pratt raced 203 metres in 80 minutes, emerging as the match’s top metre maker.
Ethan O'Neill was crucial for the Leopards in defence with 43 tackles, whilst Isaiah Vagana and Mike McMeeken also surprassed 40 tackles, putting their bodies on the line for the home side.
On Saturday, Hull KR continued to show the way for the other teams as they ensured a confident victory over inner-city rivals Hull FC to book a fourth consectutive semi-final place.
An unbeaten Hull KR took full control of the game in what was an extremely clinical performance – and they managed to do this without their star man Mikey Lewis, who they lost early on through injury.
The Robins ran in a fantastic five tries against the Black & Whites in what was the highest scoring tie of the weekend.
One of the try scorers included Tom Davies, who was the weekend’s top metre maker with 250 metres made.
The Hull Derby also witnessed the top tackler of this year’s Quarter Finals, with Amir Bourouh reaching half a century (50).
Then, another standout stat simply has to be the exceptional efforts from the Hull teams’ prop forwards.
Herman Ese-ese continued his fine form into the Challenge Cup. The powerhouse racked up an immense 151 metres in the second highest amount of runs for his side (17), as well as 29 tackles; all in a 58-minute stint.
Likewise, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves of Hull KR showcased his star quality, with 165 metres in 15 runs and 15 tackles in an applaudable 43-minute stint.
There was thrilling Quarter-Final rematch between Warrington and St Helens on Sunday.
Captain George Williams produced a perfect Player of the Match performance, as fans had the joys of witnessing another one of the England halfback’s creative masterclasses at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Williams scored an emphatic match-winner following a stunning sidestep and length of the field effort and was involved in both of the Wolves’ earlier tries – producing both assists for his side.
Over the course of 80 minutes, he also came up with a total of 16 runs, six tackle busts and produced huge defensive shift of 20 tackles.
Jack Welsby was the game’s highest metre maker with 240, with speedster Matty Ashton following closely behind in second place (233).
The England internationals continued to shine in this quarter-final tie - with Ben Currie (Wolves) and Daryl Clark (Saints) on the scoresheet, with players upping their game ahead of the recently announced ABK Beer Ashes Series which will take place this autumn.
A total 57 players surpassed 100 metres at the weekend, overall highlighting the end-to-end action across a pulsating and record-breaking quarter-final weekend.
What will the semi-finals bring?
Expected the Unexpected in the Betfred Challenge Cup!
Saturday 7 June is Betfred Challenge Cup Finals Day 2025 – also including the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Final, AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final, and RFL Champion Schools Year 7 Boys Final. Tickets are on sale now!
