BEFORE Warrington Wolves can get their Super League campaign underway, they have a very different test to negotiate.

Saturday's trip to Whitehaven in the Challenge Cup third round will certainly be an eye-opener for players used to the top-flight and will see a return to a more traditional start to the season.

Not since 2003 have The Wire opened their season with a knockout tie but a change in format for this year’s knockout competition has seen them enter the competition earlier.

All Super League clubs were guaranteed an away draw against a lower-ranked side and as such, Warrington have been paired with Haven, whom they last faced all the way back in 2006, after the Cumbrians saw off fellow League One side Swinton Lions in the second round.

It will be a culture shock for many but one player who does have prior experience of facing such a tie is Luke Yates.

He was part of the Huddersfield Giants side that faced Barrow Raiders during their run to the 2022 final, and scored a try in their 30-16 last-16 win.

Luke Yates leads his Huddersfield side out at Barrow (Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com) And he says he and his teammates have to be wary of their opponents lifting their game to a completely new level against them.

“The cup game will be interesting,” he said.

“I played against Barrow for Huddersfield in 2022, we went up there and it was a really tough game.

“I don’t think anyone is going to overlook it – we start at 0-0 like we do in any other game so we have to go to work.

“It will be a like a Grand Final for them and it’s good for growing the game. If we can take a strong side and a good following there, it’s going to bring some more eyes and money into those clubs.

“It may gain us some fans as well if lads have a good game there – they might jump onto our train as well.

“It is what it is – that’s the format so once you get your head around it, it’s exciting.

“We’re obviously not going to be at Super League-standard facilities but we’ve got to go and embrace it and be positive about it.

“It’s all part of the game and it’s good to help those clubs grow – hopefully we’ll get a lot of fans coming through.”

As well as avoiding what would be a monumental shock, Warrington will also hope to emerge from the game unscathed in terms of injuries for when the bread and butter of Super League begins the following week.

And for Yates, it will be a special game as Round One has handed The Wire a trip to his former club Huddersfield Giants, whom he captained for two-and-a-half seasons before joining Warrington last July.

He has already returned to the John Smith’s Stadium since then and with much of the focus set to be on Tom Burgess’ likely Giants debut against his older brother Sam’s side, the 29-year-old is happy to slip quietly under the radar.

I think they’re probably going to try it more about Sam and his brother, which is fine by me,” he said.

“That doesn’t bother me at all.

“We went there in the second or third-last game of last year, so that kind of thing is done and buried for me now.

“It’s a new season and I’m all focused on Warrington.”

Luke Yates returned to former club Huddersfield with Warrington last September (Image: John Rushworth/SWpix.com) Both games as well as the opening home fixture against Catalans Dragons will be played under the looming spectre of the historic fixture that follows.

The bright lights of Las Vegas can certainly be seen on the horizon, with the Round Three clash with Wigan Warriors at Allegiant Stadium a constant in the backs of peoples’ minds.

However, Yates warned of the dangers of playing their way off the plane should they overlook what comes before it.

“The anticipation is building as we get closer and closer,” he said.

“You watch the NFL games there on TV so to think we’re going to be running out there in a few weeks is crazy.

“There’s a good buzz about it but we’ve got a few weeks of work before we can get over there.

“We can’t overlook Huddersfield and Catalans before it and the cup game we have, and I’m sure everyone will want to use them to put their hands up to play in Vegas.”

Should he stay fit, Yates is perhaps one of the players who can bank of being in the side that runs out for the first ever Super League fixture to be played on American soil.

His impact after joining in mid-season last year was profound as he locked down a place in Burgess’ starting front row – a change from the loose forward position he had occupied at former clubs Huddersfield, Salford Red Devils and London Broncos

The middle unit remains largely unchanged this year in terms of personnel, but Yates hinted fans may see some different things from them on the field.

“We’ve tweaked a few things – we’ve not really had a major changeover in terms of players so we can just dial in on the things we’ve been working on,” he said.

“We’ve got some great coaches here in Sammy, Rich (Marshall) and Gleese (Martin Gleeson).

“I feel we’ve made some pretty good gains – we won’t really know until we get into the season and play some games but everything has been pretty positive.

“Chips (Ben Currie) will ball-play from that 13 role more than I will, which I’m happy with.

“We just stay connected and share the load out, which is perfect for us.”

Luke Yates during pre-season training (Image: Joe Richardson)