Dave Craven: All eyes on Tigers as they chase upset to raise Cup’s profile

Featherstone Rovers to upset London Broncos? Perhaps. Especially after they dragged Castleford to their knees last term and then made Wigan sweat.

But, even if that occurred, London cannot truly be deemed one of the sport’s gargantuan forces.

Batley Bulldogs to get Huddersfield Giants stumbling on their famous slope?

I think their best chance came and went in the same fixture two years ago.

It is hard to imagine any of the Huddersfield visitors – and plenty of them remain from the previous visit – being taken aback by Mount Pleasant’s wonderful idiosyncrasies for a second time.

All of this is a little unfortunate as the competition’s new sponsors will have been looking for something to really generate some profile and garner immediate returns on their recent investment.

Instead it is all a little flat, a bit like some hashed attempt at home brew rather than their own much-savoured taste.

The luck of the draw, I suppose. Upsets aside, the most intriguing tie is clearly, if only for us romantics, Whitehaven v Workington Town, a Cumbrian derby to really shake things up.

I have only ventured up to the Recreation Ground once before, to cover a Whitehaven friendly with Bradford.

It was a pleasant afternoon all round, a beautiful part of the country in which to watch rugby league and yet I imagine the place – where support for the sport is so fervent – will be rocking to a whole new level on Sunday.

It was never going to happen, but how bold would it have been for the BBC to showcase it all to the nation tomorrow afternoon? And how welcome would it have been to those pushing for a Cumbrian presence in Super League?

Instead, the BBC are televising Hull KR v St Helens from Craven Park, a rematch of a game that took place in Super League just two weeks ago.

I am never enthused by seeing two Super League clubs going face-to-face so early in the tournament for precisely that reason; it offers no change to the norm.

We have had 12 regular rounds of the league and seen nearly all the protagonists play each other already so it does not do much to whet the appetite.

Strangely, though, tonight’s game between Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers could disprove that point.

Castleford invariably raise their game for such meetings, a fact illustrated when they inflicted one of the champions’ two defeats this season, in February.

That supreme effort, a 14-12 success battled out in filthy conditions at Wheldon Road, promised so much for the Tigers.

No one could envisage they would not win again in their next nine games, a wretched run that eventually cost Ian Millward and his assistant their jobs.

Of course, Danny Orr – giving the players a little bit of gentle encouragement and extra freedom – finally helped stop the rot last weekend, riding to the rescue as the caretaker coach roused Castleford out of their slump to a much-needed win against Widnes.

But defeating Leeds at Headingley at the first hurdle of a competition their illustrious hosts are so desperate to win is a different proposition.

Brian McDermott’s side are unbeaten in their last five games, showing no signs of relinquishing their grip on the title.

Admittedly, they have not hoisted the Cup since 1999, but have been to the final six times since including, all too painfully, each of the last three seasons.

While they are not expected perhaps to win the Cup, Leeds are almost expected to reach Wembley yet again.

So, in what looks like being his final game for the club, what chance Rangi Chase producing some of his unique brilliance to send Castleford through instead?

In truth, that would be a worthy giant-killing act in every sense.