Featherstone all set to take on Ladbrokes Challenge Cup holders Hull
Featherstone will draw on their giant-killing history when they take on Ladbrokes Challenge Cup holders Hull in the opening sixth-round tie at the LD Nutrition Stadium on Thursday night.
This month marks the 35th anniversary of Rovers' famous upset win over the Black and Whites at Wembley in 1983 while more recently, under Daryl Powell, they knocked out Castleford courtesy of a 23-16 fourth-round victory in 2012.
Current coach John Duffy is also no stranger to cup shocks, having guided Swinton to a 28-24 victory at Huddersfield in last season's fifth round.
"It's that bit sweeter when you get a win over a Super League club," Duffy said. "I took Swinton to Huddersfield last year when we were lying second or third from bottom of the Championship but we went with some belief and came away with a great win.
"And we got a good cup-tie against Wigan off the back of it."
Featherstone have suffered three defeats in 13 matches in the Betfred Championship but Duffy is aware of the size of the task facing his team of part-timers against the back-to-back Wembley winners.
"It's a massive ask," Duffy said. "We've just got to make sure that we start the game well and that we're consistent and complete well because you will always get punished by Super League opposition if you're not doing the basics right.
"We're underdogs and we've not been underdogs many times this season so we'll play with a little bit of pressure off and enjoy it.
"It will give us a real good yardstick to see where we're at as a club."
Duffy says Thursday's game will also give prolific winger Luke Briscoe a chance to gauge his improvement after his record-breaking season so far.
Briscoe, the younger brother of Leeds winger Tom, has smashed Paul Newlove's club record of scoring tries in 10 successive games, went past Martin Offiah's post-war mark of 16 in Toulouse last weekend and now has the chance to equal the all-time record set by Eric Harris in 1937.
"He's been phenomenal," Duffy said. "It will be a good yardstick for Luke as well because he's been killing it in the Championship."
Hull are facing non-Super League opposition for the first time for three years.
Captain Danny Houghton said: "We will be giving them all the respect they deserve.
"They're flying high in the Championship and have some good ex-Super League players.
"We know what sort of fight we're going to be in for. Anyone who thinks we'll be going there to put a big score on them are wrong."
Featherstone have lost the services of Jansin Turgut, who has returned to Hull following the expiry of his loan deal, as well as Castleford forward Mitch Clark and Leeds trio Mikolaj Oledzki, Harry Newman and Jordan Lilley.
Experienced quintet John Davies, Anthony Thackeray, James Lockwood, Luke Cooper and Ian Hardman plug the gaps while Hull will look to Jake Connor and Carlos Tuimavave to pull the strings in the absence of injured half-backs Albert Kelly and Marc Sneyd.
"We won the cup with Tuimavave in the halves in 2016 and we all know how much of a talent Jake is," Houghton said.
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