Salford handed tricky Toronto Wolfpack test in Challenge Cup, Leeds paired with Doncaster
The Canadian team, who have ambitions to reach Super League within five years, will get a chance to test themselves against top-flight opposition after being handed a trip to the AJ Bell Stadium
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Your support makes all the difference.Salford coach Ian Watson says his team could have not have been handed a tougher draw after being paired with newcomers Toronto Wolfpack in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup.
The Canadian team, who have ambitions to reach Super League within five years, will get a chance to test themselves against top-flight opposition after being handed a trip to the AJ Bell Stadium to take on Watson's Red Devils in the fifth round on the weekend of April 22-23.
"It's an historic one and a real tough one for us to be fair," Watson said. "I don't think we could have had a tougher draw even with teams like Leeds and Huddersfield coming in.
"They're a good team, a well-coached team. I know their coach Paul Rowley pretty well.
"We had a training session against each other in pre-season which was a real good hit-out so we'll be well aware of little bits of how they like to play. They threw some good stuff at us that day and caught us a little bit at times."
The Wolfpack began their Challenge Cup campaign with a narrow win over Halifax amateurs Siddal in the third round before knocking out Championship club London Broncos in Ealing last Friday.
Toronto director of rugby Brian Noble, a former coach of Salford who won the Challenge Cup with Bradford, told BBC 5 Live: "It's a fabulous tie; we'll look forward to that.
"They're a top-six Super League team who are playing really well and have a smattering of stars.
"We're clearly the underdogs but we want to put a marker down."
Toronto, who have won both their opening fixtures in League 1, gave Challenge Cup holders Hull a fright in a pre-season friendly in January.
Salford enter the competition at the fifth-round stage after finishing in the bottom four of Super League in 2016 but they have made a promising start to the 2017 season and on Sunday became the first team to beat Castleford.
They were joined in the draw, which was made by former Wigan and Great Britain winger Jason Robinson, by promoted Leigh who will play Hull KR, the side they replaced in Super League.
Leeds, who won the cup back-to-back at Wembley in 2014 and 2015, have been paired with League 1 club Doncaster.
Huddersfield, the other Super League team involved at this stage, are at home to Championship club Swinton, and there is a Heavy Woollen derby between Dewsbury and Batley.
Hull will begin their defence at the sixth-round stage along with the other seven Super League clubs.
Ladbrokes Challenge Cup fifth-round draw in full: Leigh v Hull KR, Featherstone v Oldham, Leeds v Doncaster, Salford v Toronto, Whitehaven or Oxford v Halifax, Dewsbury v Batley, Huddersfield v Swinton, York v Barrow.
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