2012 Challenge Cup
| Duration | 9 Rounds |
|---|---|
| Highest attendance | 79,180 |
| Broadcast partners |
 BBC Sport
|
| Winners |
 Warrington Wolves
|
| Runners-up |
 Leeds Rhinos
|
| Biggest home win |
 Wigan Warriors 98-4 North Wales Crusaders
|
| Biggest away win | Myton Warriors 4-94  Halifax
|
| Lance Todd Trophy |
Brett Hodgson
|
The 2012 Challenge Cup (also known as the Carnegie Challenge Cup for sponsorship reasons) was the 111th staging of the most competitive European rugby league tournament at club level and was open to teams from England, Wales, Scotland and France. It began its preliminary stages in January 2012.
The pools in the preliminary round were dropped.
Wigan Warriors were the reigning champions, but lost 28 - 39 to Leeds Rhinos in the semi final, who avenged last season’s final defeat. However, they went on to lose their third consecutive final, the second of which to the Warrington Wolves 18 - 35.
A total of 44 teams played a Preliminary Round tie. The clubs involved included 22 NCL Divisions 1 and 2, 5 regional league winners, the Yorkshire and Lancashire County Cup winners, 1 Cumberland ARL nomination and the British Police. Also in the draw were the Scottish champions and a Welsh representative, 4 teams from the 2011 Rugby League Conference National, 6 Student teams and a North West League representative.
The Draw for the Preliminary and First Round were made on 19 December 2011.
The 22 winners from the preliminary round then progress to the First Round where 11 games were drawn. Due to the amount of postponed matches, ties (other than Egremont v Leeds Met and Castleford Lock Lane v Sharlston) were played a week later on 25 February.
The 11 First Round winners then progressed to Round Two where they met the 14 National Conference League Premier teams and the three Armed Forces teams who entered at this stage to total 28 teams to be drawn in to 14 games.
The Draw for the Second Round were made on 27 February 2012 aboard HMS Illustrious and was carried out by Commanding Officer, Captain Martin Connell, who drew the home teams and the away teams were pulled out by England Head Coach Steve McNamara.
The second round ties were played on the weekend of 10 and 11 March.
A total of 14 community clubs would progress to Round Three, where they would be joined by the Co-operative Championships clubs as well as Toulouse Olympique and Lezignan Sangliers.
Cumbrian Rugby League stars Sol Roper and Rob Purdham conducted the draw for the third round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup at Whitehaven’s Recreation Ground on 13 March. Roper, a scrum-half who played in two Wembley finals with Workington Town in 1955 and 1958, drew the home teams and former Whitehaven and London Broncos player Purdham drew the away teams.
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