Cardiff Demons are looking forward to playing in their biggest match to date – the quarter-finals of the Women’s Rugby League Challenge Cup, away at York Valkyrie this Sunday (kick-off 2pm).

This is the first season that a Welsh side has entered the Women’s Challenge Cup so to find themselves just two games from Wembley, having beaten two Super League sides already, is a magnificent achievement.

But this will be a tough task for Cardiff to overcome one of the competition favourites. York finished top of Super League last year, losing in the Grand Final and were runners up in the Challenge Cup in 2021.

The further any Welsh side has ever reached in the men’s competition is the quarter-finals, achieved by Merthyr Tydfil in 1908 and Ebbw Vale in 1910, both losing their ties by the same scoreline of 8-2. North Wales Crusaders reached the semi-finals of the Wheelchair version in 2019.

Head coach Ian Newbury said: “It’s exciting, we set targets at the start of the season and we’re working towards them. We’ve a hard challenge ahead of us, but it’s an exciting moment for the club. York have come out firing this year and they really are standard setters at the minute – the match will give us an indication of where we need to be. We don’t go into a game thinking we can’t win it, it’s cup rugby and anything can happen on the day.”

DEMONS

1. Eleri Michael
2. Jasmine Gibbons
3. Elinor Issac
4. Ashlea Prescott
5. Zoe Heeley
6. Shaunni Davies
7. Rhi Parker
8. Lauren Aitken
9. Amy Price
10. Sara Jones
12. Charlie Mundy
11. Ffion Jones (C)
13. Joann McGuire

14. Robyn Gulley
15. Sophie Solari
16. Ffion Jenkins
17. Rania Koutsikou

18. Leanne Burnell