HUDDERSFIELD Giants will have to make it through to the fifth round of the Challenge Cup the hard way.

Coach Nathan Brown’s side were last night handed a fourth-round tie at fellow Super League club Hull FC, with the clash to take place over the weekend of April 13-15.

It promises to be a tricky assignment for the Giants, with Hull having made a solid start to Super League XVII.

They are currently third – just one place behind Huddersfield – with five wins and a draw from their opening seven games.

And Galpharm chief Brown knows his players are going to need to be at their best to get the job done.

“If you’re going to win this competition, you know you’re going to have to play the top teams at some stage,” said Brown. “This time around we’ve got one of the top teams in round four.

“We haven’t played Hull yet, but it’s obvious my old mate Peter Gentle is doing a good job as coach over there, and we’ll soon have the pleasure of seeing each other at our place in Super League on Easter Monday and over there in the Cup a week later!”

WIGAN will begin their defence of the Carnegie Challenge Cup against newly-formed Wrexham club North Wales Crusaders next month.

The Warriors will have home advantage against the Championship One club, who are coached by former Wales boss Clive Griffiths, on the weekend of April 13-15.

Last year’s runners-up Leeds, the reigning Super League champions, will be at home to Wakefield in one of four all-Super League ties.

The other top-flight clashes see St Helens, who gained a hat-trick of cup final victories from 2006 to 2008, take on former cup kings Widnes at the Stobart Stadium and Hull KR will host Catalan Dragons.

Wigan head coach Shaun Wane, who was assistant to Michael Maguire when the Warriors lifted the trophy at Wembley last August, was pleased to see his side paired with third-tier opposition.

“I’m quite happy with that,” he said.

“We’ll give them the respect they deserve but it could have been a lot worse.”

Crusaders, formed from the ashes of the old Super League club at the Racecourse Ground, knocked out leading French club Toulouse in the third round in Wrexham on Saturday.

Wakefield boss Richard Agar admits his side could have their work cut out against the Rhinos.

“It’s a tough draw,” he said.

“We’re playing a side who are used to finding their ways to finals.

“But we’re travelling all right at the moment. We’re finding our feet and learning how to win games but we will have to be very much at our best.”

St Helens captain Paul Wellens admits his side will feel at home at Widnes, with whom they shared the Stobart Stadium until moving to Langtree Park this year.

“It’s going to be fantastic,” he said.

“There will be a packed house at the Stobart.

“We would have liked a home draw but this is the next best thing for us, seeing as we spent the whole of last season there.”

There will be another derby at Featherstone, who host top-flight neighbours Castleford, while six all-Championship ties will guarantee plenty of non-Super League representation in the last 16.

Despite a strong first-half showing the Giants Under 20 side were beaten 52-16 at Hull KR in the Valvoline Cup.

At half-time the visitors were trailing by just 18-12 but failed to find the same competitive edge in the second half.

The Giants’ tries came from Perry Whiteley, Jon Molloy and Jamie Love and Ben Whitehead added two goals.

The Under 20 side face Leeds at Headingley on Friday (5.45) in a curtain-raiser to the Giants’ Super League clash with the Rhinos.

The Giants’ Under 18 side are in action tomorrow night and face Sheffield Eagles at Huddersfield YMCA (7.30).

Giants: Jordan Higo, Josh Hunt, Jake Shoel, Jake Connor, Kyle Mayall, Liam Coe, Jack Miller, Jack Blagbrough, Tom Hall, Nathan Mason, Peter Aspinall, George King, Lewis Graham, Sam Rochford, Ashley Webb, Aaron Webb, Corey Noel, Danny Maskill.