St Helens head coach Paul Rowley says the Challenge Cup “means a lot to me and the team” as his aspect put together for a quarter-final tie towards Catalans Dragons.
Saints made it to the final eight with an emphatic 32-8 away victory over Castleford Tigers within the fourth spherical in March.
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“Growing up, the Challenge Cup was the biggest cup to win,” Rowley told BBC Radio Merseyside.
“It’s historical, our heroes played in it and the list of players to go before us is phenomenal and inspiring so it means a lot to me and the team.
“It’s the quarter-final of the cup, so it is do or die.”
Saints produced a outstanding comeback towards rivals Wigan Warriors on Good Friday by overturning a 14-point deficit to win 34-24, with debutant Bill Leyland’s two tries sealing the win.
St Helens scored four tries in just over five minutes in their comeback against Wigan Warriors on Good Friday [Getty Images]
Saints are currently fifth in the Super League table, with Catalans one place below them.
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Rowley said: “I feel we have had a actually robust begin to the season.
“We’ve definitely changed how we look in terms of how we play and we’ve found some ways of winning by continuing to play through tough moments.”
The Dragons breezed previous Oldham 58-0 to succeed in the final eight and are additionally coming off a league victory after beating fellow French outfit Toulouse 33-26 on Saturday.
The two sides’ earlier assembly in February resulted in a dominant 36-4 triumph for St Helens in Perpignan.
Rowley stated: “The best version of Catalans is a very dangerous one, so we need to be proactive and make sure our standards are on form.
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“If we do this and fear about what we will carry to the occasion then we really feel we’ll be okay.
“They’ve got some fantastic players, the outside backs in particular, (Charlie) Staines, (Toby) Sexton, and a fantastic spine with Kruise Leeming as well.”
St Helens, who shall be with out Agnatius Paasi and Shane Wright as a consequence of accidents, final lifted the cup in 2021, with Catalans successful their first Challenge Cup in 2018 after they shocked Warrington at Wembley.
Rowley added: “It’s a cup final feel. For the clubs, for ourselves and the supporters, we’re connected from top to bottom and I think we all need to cover that burden and responsibility to bring some life to the stadium.
“You do not get many alternatives to win silverware.”