Challenge Cup draw: Featherstone Rovers and Halifax Panthers paired as amateur clubs get dream ties

The Championship rivals will meet at the Millennium Stadium next month after being pitted against each other in Monday's draw, which was held in Featherstone.

All second-tier clubs – with the exception of Toulouse Olympique – have entered the competition at the third-round stage.

Sean Long's Featherstone were the team to avoid after coasting through the opening month of the new Championship season.

Rovers have won all four games to date, scoring 228 points and conceding just 32.

Halifax are expected to be one of Featherstone's nearest promotion challengers after finishing third in each of the last two seasons.

The two sides have met already this year, with Long's men easing to a 46-22 win on home soil earlier this month.

In the two other all-Championship ties, London Broncos will host Whitehaven and Barrow Raiders will take on Swinton Lions in Cumbria.

A host of amateur clubs can look forward to dates with Championship heavyweights after being given plum draws.

York Acorn have been handed a dream trip to Odsal to face five-time winners Bradford Bulls, while fellow NCL Premier outfit Siddal will host 1998 giant-killers Sheffield Eagles.

West Bowling will pit their wits against York Knights at the LNER Community Stadium, with NCL Division 1 rivals Stanningley set to entertain Newcastle Thunder.

Two amateur clubs are guaranteed to reach the fourth round after Leigh Miners Rangers drew Rochdale Mayfield and Westgate Common were handed a home date with Hunslet ARLFC.

Wakefield club Westgate Common booked their place in round three with a hard-fought victory over Great Britain Police on Sunday.

Head coach Matt Bramald said: "The fact we're at home is a positive for us.

"Hunslet are one of the strongest amateur teams around after merging the two clubs so it will be a huge challenge for us.

"We'll be massive underdogs but we'll embrace it and get stuck into it.

"It's the first time we've been involved in the Challenge Cup. We're a new club, a small club. I don't think the lads and the club will realise what we've achieved until it's over and we look back on it."

The ties will be played over the weekend of March 11 and 12, followed by the draw for the fourth and fifth rounds on March 14.

Super League sides will join in round six, which is scheduled for mid-May.

Challenge Cup third-round draw: Featherstone Rovers v Halifax Panthers, West Warriors v Widnes Vikings, Leigh Miners Rangers v Rochdale Mayfield, Doncaster v Workington Town, Westgate Common v Hunslet ARLFC, Dewsbury Rams v Rochdale Hornets, Siddal v Sheffield Eagles, Orrell St James v Midland Hurricanes, Batley Bulldogs v Wath Brow Hornets, Thatto Heath Crusaders v North Wales Crusaders, Hunslet RLFC v Keighley Cougars, York Knights v West Bowling, Stanningley v Newcastle Thunder, London Broncos v Whitehaven, Bradford Bulls v York Acorn, Barrow Raiders v Swinton Lions.