The Challenge Cup continues on and on.

The fourth round of the cup saw high scoring and one sided games for Bradford, Wigan and Saints. Other Super League sides were involved in closer encounters with their National League opposition producing spirited performances; such were the games in Leeds and Leigh. But as all the elite sides except Castleford made it through into the fifth round, the chances of them drawing each other were increased. In fact, there is only one all National League tie in Dewsbury V Oldham. But undoubtedly the tie of the round is St Helens V Warrington.

Both sides lock horns for a rehearsal on Friday in their round twelve Super League tie at Warrington, with Millennium Magic in the middle of the two games. Its been a tough second third for Warrington so far with them failing to win a game in Super League since Easter Monday against Castleford. It comes as a surprise as the big spending club were second leading up to Easter.

But in my opinion it might not be such bad news. History in all of sport suggests when a coach announces he is leaving at the end of the season, the team don’t perform. The one exception I can think of is Tony Smith and last year’s champions. Mick Potter has a lot to prove as a coach who has only lead Catalan to a record tenth place in their three year existence. However, a Challenge Cup final appearance in that time frame suggests good things are being produced in Perpignan.

The remaining ties in the fifth round draw include Hull KR hosting Huddersfield, Wakefield travelling to Barrow, Catalan taking on French exterminators Bradford, Wigan facing Whitehaven, Bottom but undefeated club Widnes hosting Hull FC while Leeds travel to the capital. Unsurprisingly Saints welcome back Ray French in the commentary box while Hull KR V Huddersfield will be televised on the Sunday.

Super League Applications - winners and losers revealed.

The list of applicants for Super League XIV was finally announced on Tuesday. Nineteen clubs have applied for a license to participate in Super league next year including the current twelve. Six clubs have applied from the National Leagues while Toulouse Olympique have also forwarded their application. The full list is:

Bradford Bulls
Catalans Dragons
Castleford Tigers
Celtic Crusaders
Featherstone Rovers
Halifax RLFC
Huddersfield Giants
Harlequins RL
Hull FC
Hull KR
Leeds Rhinos
Leigh Centurions
Salford City Reds
St Helens
Toulouse Olympique
Warrington Wolves
Wakefield Trinity Wildcats
Widnes Vikings
Wigan Warriors

So who are definite candidates for Super League, and who will suffer disappointment in waiting three years before being allowed back in? Well I intend to find out by briefly running over each clubs chances based on the actual criteria outlined. For arguments sake, all clubs will be solvent, while other criteria may be based on guesswork such as estimating if a club has enough turnover or an average attendance.

Bradford – They have the capacity and most likely have the required 10,000 average attendance, which means they have the stadium operating at 40% capacity. But they fail on having a premier standard stadium as the majority of the ground is uncovered and standing. Financially, it was reported last year that the club were struggling and this showed in the fact they broke the salary cap during the 2006 season. But they have a firm junior development system in place and the first of many players are rolling onto the pitch. Sam Burgess is just one example. Therefore I predict Bradford making B grade status.

Catalan – Catalan should be set for a place in Super League. Their facilities and attendances achieve top marks; they also gain a bonus point for not being within 20 miles of any other club. This is despite being in the heartlands of French Rugby League. I imagine they are turning over £4m (or should it be Euros?) due to the amount of interest generated in Perpignan and the Catalan region. I am less knowledgeable on the club’s junior development, but they meet this criterion by already having enough French players already in their squad. They have not made a big contribution to the competition however, having only been in existence for two seasons previous to the current one and having not finished above ninth place in any if them. Therefore, I still expect Catalan to gain an A grade licence.

Castleford – Cas do not have the capacity, average attendance or stadium standard to gain any points in that department. They are operating at 40% capacity though. But despite that, the only other points they will earn is through junior development, sticking to the salary cap and being solvent. They are not making £4m, and have barely any contribution to the competition due to being relegated so many times in the past few years. Therefore, this gives them a C grade status.

Celtic – Difficult to judge because I have never been to their ground or seen any of the setup there. I hear the ground only has 1,000 capacity, so therefore the club would have to move. They gain an extra point due to being no more than twenty miles within another club as well as not being able to break the salary cap in their three year existence. I’m unsure of the junior development that currently exists down in the south of Wales, but all the news coming from the valleys is positive. As for it being good enough, thats a different matter. Therefore I expect Celtic to earn a C grade.

Featherstone – “No chance” is the phrase you are looking for. They may have youngsters coming through a limited academy system but I expect the club are pushing for a place in 2011 rather than getting their hopes up for next season. Although this application set up is a good idea for a club to see where they are currently and how they can expand for the future. Therefore they will earn a C grade status.

Halifax – See Featherstone. A half constructed main stand is never good for business and doesn’t show any professionalism within the club. Despite it not being the clubs fault though, it still is an eyesore and therefore lacks any possibility of The Shay becoming a premier standard arena. Therefore Halifax will earn a C grade.

Huddersfield – As I write this, I have just seen the Sky Sports report by Angela Powers on Boots ‘n’ All. While I no arguments in how the scoring of their application was made up and calculated, it shed some light onto how little support the club receives compared to the quality of their stadium. Apart from attendances, the club fared well having a good junior development, no breaches of salary cap and they are solvent at the very least. Therefore they should receive a grade B licence.

Harlequins – They will be one of the few sides to earn a SL place based on a C grade licence. While their stadium meets the criterion, their attendances certainty does not. I doubt they are making enough money for the £4m turnover, but there is reason to suggest they are solvent because of the relationship with their union counterparts. As well as that, their junior development is promising but I don’t think it reaches the right standard just yet. Therefore, as mentioned, they will get C grade status.

Hull FC – Apart from the pointless criterion of not having another club within a twenty mile radius (Hull would struggle with a twenty metre radius) they should earn top marks. The stadium is of quality standard, attendances are high and they surely are making enough money for a big turnover. Matt Dale can be seen as an example of junior development being bred at the club and their contribution to competition is highly valued. Therefore the west side of Hull should earn an A grade licence.

Hull KR – Their stadium does not meet the standards of premier facilities. It is not even 10,000 capacity (although building work is currently in place to sort that out), but their attendances are reasonably close to capacity. Their contribution to the comp is poor, with this season only being their second in SL. But at least they haven’t over spent on player salaries and their junior development is well established. Therefore Hull KR should get a C licence.

Leeds – Their stadium, I feel, does not meet the requirement for premier standard. They have one good stand which stands out like a sore thumb. But their capacity is high and the club are averaging well over 10,000. They haven’t broken the salary cap and are one of the biggest contributors to the competition. Therefore I think Leeds will earn a B licence.

Leigh – Of all those teams currently in National League One competing for licences, I firmly believe Leigh are the front runners and deserving of a licence. While attendances will be based in their current stadium, the facilities and stadia currently built are of a premier standard. It is open to debate whether to allow them in as they are not inside these facilities at the time of submitting their application. However, these remarks are being made by Salford and Widnes corners who will not have a premier stadium ready until 2010 and who have financial trouble respectively. However, i would give Leigh a B licence.

Salford – Have successfully got planning permission through a public enquiry for a new stadium next to The Trafford Centre shopping complex. However, this stadium will not be ready until 2010, 2011 at the latest. While their financial situation is fairly good and junior development fairly established, they lose points on their stadium and attendances. I wouldn’t say their contribution to competition was that good either having only made the top six once in the past three years. Therefore I would give Salford a C licence.

St Helens – Let us start with the positives. They have the junior development and contribution to competition already in the bag. They also have over 12,000 capacity stadium, averaging 10,000 on a regular basis and operating at 40% capacity. What they lack is a premier standard stadium, a turnover of £4m and a clean salary cap record. Therefore Saints will earn a B licence.

Toulouse – Little is known about the Toulouse application. They will have the geographical point but as for stadium and finances, I don’t know much about them. I doubt they will have an average of 10,000 and judging from their stadium when I saw the team beat Widnes in the 2006 Challenge Cup semi final, I doubt it holds 12,000 (but that is only from memory). I can see Toulouse earning a B licence though and another trip to France for the Super League faithful.

Warrington – It has been accounted well in the press that teams have submitted over 600 page documents for the RFL to work their way through. Widnes have reported sending a 2000 page document as well as a DVD. However, Warrington are one of only a few clubs that can send in a postcard through second class Royal Mail and still get in for 2009. Without being biased, the stadium is perfect, attendances are high, turnover is fantastic and players are being developed like there is no tomorrow. An A class all the way. In other words, A grade licence.

Wakefield – The stadium fails to hold 10,000 so therefore they cannot average that figure. Their finances are unsettling and I’m guessing they are just solvent. They have made little contribution to the competition but haven’t broke the salary cap and they have a decent junior set up. Therefore I would give them a C grade licence.

Widnes – Their stadium is established but still of a good standard, they regularly had good attendances in Super League but since their relegation I’m unsure of their gate figures. Their main reason for not getting a licence is their financial situation. While the club seem to have a new policy of letting supporters have their say and giving them an insight into how the club is run, their financial trouble at the end of last season will surely count against them. Their supporters will argue that the old rouges that lead the club into administration are now gone, but it hasn’t been twelve months since they left and the new owners must still be recovering the losses made beforehand. Therefore I would give Widnes a C licence.

Wigan – See Warrington and Hull FC. The only thing that will count against them is the salary cap breach and the 20 mile radium criterion. Added to Wigan’s application but not evaluated is the history the club hold. Super League without Wigan was once a possibility only a few seasons ago, but they bring so much to the competition because of their past. Therefore they will earn an A grance licence.

So that’s all nineteen clubs evaluated briefly, who will get the lucrative places? Well here lies the problem. The RFL have yet to announce if Super League will have fourteen or twelve clubs next year. There is a possibility it could have more but realistically and if the quality across the board is good enough, Super League will see fourteen team battle it out. So I’ve listed twelve teams who I believe will get in straight away. Then I have listed another two below them to make fourteen. After that, I have listed the remaining five teams in what I believe to be order of priority should the RFL include more than fifteen teams or more.

So in alphabetical order, the first twelve teams into Super League 2009 should be;

Bradford Bulls

Catalan Dragons

Huddersfield Giants

Harlequins RL

Hull FC

Hull KR

Leeds Rhinos

Leigh Centurions

Salford City Reds

St Helens

Warrington Wolves

Wigan Warriors

The next two teams, making what will no doubt be a fourteen team Super League XIV should be;

Celtic Crusaders

Widnes Vikings

Now the next five teams in priority of making Super League after the first fourteen teams.

Toulouse Olympique

Wakefield Wildcats

Castleford Tigers

Halifax RLFC

Featherstone Rovers

Please bear in mind this is what I feel should happen next year for good expansion as well as getting rid of clubs dragging the club down as a competition and as a sport. I feel going sown to the south of France again will put a burden on supporters to visit France twice and should be avoided. I also feel getting rid of Castleford and Wakefield is a necessity as their stadiums and finances don’t make pretty reading. As for Halifax and Featherstone, well they don’t come close but by applying they have seen what state their own house is in and should start to progress in correcting this. I look forward to their applications in 2011 and seeing how far they have come since.

Will Rugby League be too Dwain-ing for Chambers?

It had the potential to be an enormous April Fool joke. Sky Sports had the pleasure of breaking the news that Dwain Chambers will sign for Castleford during their Super League coverage of St Helens and Leeds at Knowsley Road, in which Leeds were triumphant 10-14. While many took the news seriously from the moment it was announced, I stood back and realised that we were only four days away from the four year anniversary of when Iestyn Harris supposedly signed for Warrington. This proved to be a hoax at the time but several weeks later, Harris signed for Bradford and made his return to the sport permanent.

However you may forgive me for thinking Dwain Chambers was taking the proverbial as an athlete who has never even heard of the sport before. He even dared to call it “barbaric”. Fair enough, then. If he doesn’t want in then he knows where the door is. He entered it quickly enough when the carrot worth £68,000 was dangled in front of him. But what gets me is I’m still struggling to find an argument for any side to even consider taking him on. The guy does not have the best of reputations within the sport of athletics, and considering this reputation will transfer to Rugby League via the media, this can only create a shadow on the club that signs him. OK, so he has pace to burn and has muscles bigger than half the Castleford squad put together, but does he understand the rules of the game? Can he participate in a contact sport tougher than American Football where he once took an interest, in training if not playing for, the Hamberg Sea Devils? Is he able to run on a softer surface, known as grass, with books on his feet as opposed to training spikes? I for one, is questioning his ability to convert from a non-contact sport to a full on contact game that has a reputation for being tough in both codes of rugby circles.

So if Dwain fails to achieve a place in Castleford’s squad for the remainder of the season, who is the laughing stock? Who do we blame if he makes a fool of himself, whether it be in front of thousands at a Super League match or hundreds in a reserve game? Well, that would depend on whether Castleford accepted him as part of their squad and began paying him. From reports in the media, there is suggestion he may still participate in the Olympics at Beijing. At this point he will be under contract at Castleford and I doubt they will be too happy in having to release him in order to run a hundred metres once when at Wheldon Road, seventeen other players in the team are busting their guts out trying to earn the club a bit of decency and two points in a regular season game that demands more from the human body. Somehow, I can see Dwain’s attitude to be lethargic towards the game with the player just using this as an opportunity to promote himself to the British Olympic Association since his drugs ban expired in 2006. This will be his first Olympics after his ban.

And this is another issue with Chambers. In 2003 he was tested positive for the steroid THG. He was banned for two years in 2004 from any athletic events and resumed the sport in 2006. So the guy has served his time and therefore should be eligible to play Rugby League. And just so there is no confusion, he is. The RFL have stated he will be eligible to play. Therefore he should abide by all the RFL’s terms and conditions of playing (if there is one) making him a candidate for a drug test under the governing bodies’ policy. And as long as he sticks to that policy and does not play while using drugs, I have no problem with his participation within the game. That is as long as he doesn’t make it a laughing stock in front of the world’s media.