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Loughborough students rugby league ready for round four Cup clash

Posted on 23/02/2009

Loughborough University Website

Loughborough students rugby league ready for round four Cup clash

Loughborough Students are in line for the toughest match in the club’s history when they face professional side Halifax in the third round of rugby league’s Carnegie Challenge Cup in less than two weeks’ time.

The Students, who beat local rivals Nottingham Outlaws then St Mary’s College and most recently the Navy in the earlier rounds of the competition, were drawn against Halifax this week and have a tough task ahead of them when they travel away to the Shay Stadium on the weekend of the 7/8 March.

This year’s performance is the best ever from the University’s rugby league team, bettering their second round exit some years ago. And it is the best ever performance from a Midlands club as Loughborough become the first ever team from the region to reach the third round in the competition’s 113 year history.

In the national student league - Super Six, Loughborough finished second in the table and are currently playing in knock-out matches which they hope will see them through to the Championship final the week after the Halifax fixture.

Loughborough are relishing the opportunity to play National League One side Halifax, who have previously won the Challenge Cup five times, and reached the final on 13 occasions.

“It’s the best case scenario for us really,” said club chair Ian Keevil, a second year sports science with management student. “It would be tough whoever we played in the third round so we’d rather take our chances against the best.

“It’s a really good opportunity to play against professional players and it’s a chance for our lads with career aspirations in the sport to see what it takes.

“We’re definitely the underdogs for this match, but we’re embracing that challenge and we’re going to enjoy it and make the club proud.”

Ends

For all media enquiries contact:

  • Amanda Overend, Sport PR Officer, Loughborough University,T: 01509 228686, E: A.J.Overend@lboro.ac.uk

Notes for editors:

  • Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and research, strong links with industry and unrivalled sporting achievement. It was awarded the coveted Sunday Times University of the Year 2008-09 title, and is consistently ranked in the top fifteen of UK universities in national newspaper league tables. In the 2008 National Student Survey, Loughborough was voted one of the top five universities in the UK, with 22 out of 30 of its subject areas being ranked in the top ten for overall satisfaction. It was named winner of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Times Higher award for the UK’s Best Student Experience and winner of the 2007 award for Outstanding Support for Overseas Students. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, the University has been awarded six Queens Anniversary Prizes an achievement bettered by no other institution. It is a member of the esteemed 1994 Group a set of internationally recognised, research-intensive universities and has a reputation for the relevance of its work. Its degree programmes are highly regarded by professional institutions and businesses, and its graduates are consistently targeted by the UK’s top recruiters. Loughborough is also the UK’s premier university for sport. It has perhaps the best integrated sports development environment in the world and is home to some of the country’s leading coaches, sports scientists and support staff. It also has the country’s largest concentration of world-class training facilities across a wide range of sports.