St Helens were looking for their fifth consecutive Challenge
Cup final win in the competition which they have made their own and all that
stood in their way was their arch-rivals, Wigan Warriors, who were seeking their
first ever win in their first ever final.
Both sides won their divisions with unbeaten records and
without conceding a point, while Saints beat London and York in the quarter and
semi-finals, Wigan eliminated Cardiff and Leeds on their road to Wembley.
The bookies favoured a St Helens win, despite Wigan
currently leading the women’s Super League table by a point over their archrivals.
Good early pressure from Wigan, coupled with some excellent
defence, led to the first points of the game. When Saints spilled the ball in
their own twenty, Megan Williams took a short pass from Izzy Rowe to go in
under the sticks. Rowe added the conversion for a 6-0 lead, with ten minutes on
the clock.
The second Wigan try came on twenty, Mary Coleman supporting
down the inside line of a Molly Jones break. Rowe added the conversion, Saints
stunned by the Wigan start.
Registering a try every ten minutes, the Warriors were in
again on the half hour Emily Veivers running the diagonal from ten metres out
as she cut through the defence and dived in for the try under the sticks. Rowe
was on target again, Wigan with an 18-0 lead, St Helens needed to score next.
Dennis Betts couldn’t have hoped for, or planned, a better
first forty, Wigan in the driving seat as the sides went in for the half time
break.
Rather that Saints come out of the changing rooms all guns
blazing, it was Wigan who opened the second half scoring with an amazing
jinking run from Rowe as she carved through the Saints defence to score by the
uprights. She added the conversion for 24-0, the game now looking beyond the
defending champions.
Saints finally broke their points duck on forty-nine, Katie Mottershead
scooting from acting half back, throwing the dummy, and dropping the shoulder
to score from eight metres out. Faye Gaskin added the extras, the margin back
to eighteen.
The fightback lasted just under ten minutes before Wigan reestablished
their dominance, Eva Hunter taking the pass thirty metres out to bust the line
and sprint over for the fifth Wigan try of the game. Rowe added a fifth goal
from five attempts for 30-6, the engraver scribing the Warriors name on the trophy
as the game went through the hour mark.
Any remaining embers of St Helens hopes were snuffed out on
seventy with a sixty-five metres sprint to the line from Grace Banks after a chip
over the top from Saints. Scoring under the sticks the speedster gave Rowe a
simple sixth conversion of the afternoon, Wigan with an astonishing 36-6 lead.
Perseverance paid off again on seventy-four with Anna Davies
the one to touch down after she took a looping pass in acres of space to score
in the corner. Rowe kicked her most difficult kick of the day, from the
touchline, for a personal haul of eighteen.
The St Helens Challenge Cup dynasty is over, the new kids on
the block, and a new name on the trophy, is Wigan Warriors who put in the most
professional of performances. Wigan were dominant and ruthless and sounded a
massive warning to all the other sides that they will take delight in winning
everything on offer. Congratulations to a sensational Wigan side for a
brilliant, professional, win.
St Helens: Salihi, Hook, McColm, Hardcastle, McGifford,
Harris, Gaskin (G 1/1), Stott, Crowl, Hoyle, Rudge, Cunningham. Subs: Whitfield,
Mottershead (T), Sutherland, Woosey. 18th Player: Stott.
Wigan Warriors: Banks, Davies (T), Wilson, Jones,
Derbyshire, Foubister, Rowe (T, G 7/7), Coleman (T), Wilton, Speakman, Hunter
(T), Power, Williams (T). Subs: Marsh, Molyneux, Thompson, Veivers (T). 18th
Man: Power.
Half-Time: 0-18.
Full-Time: 6-42.
Score Progression: 0-4, 0-6, 0-10, 0-12, 0-16, 0-18 : HT: 0-22,
0-24, 4-24, 6-24, 6-28, 6-30, 6-34, 6-36, 6-40, 6-42 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Wigan.
Referee: Aaron Moore.
