With this year's Challenge Cup Final taking place in the shadow of the upcoming Rugby League World Cup, players from both Wigan and Hull would both have been looking to illustrate to selectors exactly why they deserve a place in the squad for this autumn. However, the hype around this particular match goes far deeper than just the prospect of improving an individual's chances. All of the headlines in the days leading up to the British rugby league showpiece have been harking back to the classic 1985 final between the two teams. On that day, in a topsy-turvey contest, it was the Warriors that came out victorious. The game had it all, with drama, wonderful tries and a sting in the tail. With Wigan 28-12 ahead with just 16 minutes left, they looked to be cruising, especially after a scintillating try from Brett Kenny, who went the length of the Wembley pitch before touching down. However, Hull were not dead yet, fighting back to make it a 1 score game, with tries from Leuluai and another stunner from Divorty, along with penalties from Crooks. This took the score to 28-24, with the most unlikely of comebacks on the cards. But time ran out on the Black and Whites, leaving them to rue the 5 missed conversion attempts that they had throughout the match. And today, Wigan and Hull resumed that rivalry, with the expectation heavily on the match to live up to the standard of 28 years ago.
In setting up the repeat of that historic contest, both sides have had to come through arduous examinations of their credentials. As Super League sides are given byes through to the fourth round, there is an obvious advantage of being in the top tier of British rugby league. For Wigan, a home tie against Championship side Leigh kicked off their Challenge Cup campaign. An emphatic win for the Super League team, with tries from Charnley (3), Richards (3), Tomkins (4) and Williams ensuring a 60-10 win. In the fifth round they travelled to Hull to face fellow Super League side Hull KR. In a much tighter affair than the previous round, the prolific Tomkins scored another 4 tries to ensure that the Warriors progressed. Other scores from Richards, Charnley, Thornley and Farrell gave the scoreline a more emphatic feel, with a 46-14 final result. Wigan managed to avoid the other top sides in the competition in the quarter finals, facing a visit from Widnes Vikings. Once again, another routine victory for the home side, with tries from Charnley (3), Tomkins, Smith, Farrell, Hampshire and Green sending the Warriors into the final 48-4. Another favourable draw saw Wigan face another of Super League's struggling sides: London Broncos. In a complete demolition job of the side from the capital at Leigh Sports Village, Wigan equalled the record margin of victory in a semi final, winning 70-0. Tries from Goulding, Mossop, Tomkins, Green, Richards (2), Charnley (2), Taylor, Smith, Farrell and Thornley allowed Wigan to cruise to Wembley, humiliating the Broncos in the process.
Hull's progress, on the other hand, had been far from simple. Though their campaign began with a comfortable victory over Crusaders in the fourth round, where tries from Horne (2), Westerman, Crooks, Yeaman (3), Lineham, Cunningham and Shaul (3) gave Hull a 62-6 victory, that ease would not last long. Their fifth round tie was a nip-and-tuck affair against Wakefield Trinity Wildcats. In a scrappy game, a few moments of brilliance ensured that it would be the Hull side that progressed. Tries from Horne, Ellis, Yeaman and Pitts (2) gave Hull a hard-fought 24-6 win, and set them up for a quarter final trip to the South of France. A difficult tie against Catalan Dragons was the reward for that win, and that match would prove to be every bit as difficult. In a rollercoaster game, in which both sides held the lead, and thought they had the momentum, with the half-time score 7-8. This time, it was the English side that progressed to the semi-final, with the promise of Wembley now just one game away. Tries from McDonnell (2), Lineham and Briscoe gave the Yorkshire side the narrowest of 13-24 wins. They saved the tightest game for last however. At Huddersfield's John Smith's Stadium, Hull were the underdogs for their clash with Challenge Cup holders Warrington Wolves. In order to win that game, they required a scrappy and tense affair. Fortunately, the Black and Whites got it, defending fantastically well against an out-of-sorts Warrington, and hitting them with 3 great tries. Lineham, Whiting and Heremaia gave them a lead to protect, and once they had held off a late Warrington charge, they claimed a fantastic 16-12 victory to take them to rugby league's showpiece.
In order for this game to be considered in the same breath as its 1985 predecessor, it had to start quickly. Unfortunately, the nerves, and the dismal weather obviously got to the players, as the opening 20 went by without incident. It seemed to be a case of not wanting to take too many risks, as the game became a scrappy affair, but it maintained the intensity that one would expect from a cup final. After the initial sparring between the two teams, it was Wigan who struck the first blow. After some quick hands, Warriors wing Ian Thornley went over in the corner. With Pat Richards adding the two points, the Warriors took a 6-0 lead. Immediately after the try, Hull struggled to cope with a rampant Wigan side, with McIlorum breaking the line and only last ditch defending preventing a second. After riding the initial shock, Hull began to work themselves back into the game. However, the niggly errors continued from both sides, meaning that the fluidity of the game was regularly interrupted. This was particularly evident in the statistics for Hull at half time. In terms of set completion, Hull managed only 50% to Wigan's 82%. The final real chance of the first half fell to the Black and Whites, with a Wigan knock-on handing Hull a good field position. After further possession, the underdogs were handed a penalty. However, instead of the common sense option to kick the points and go in just four points down, Hull chose to tap and go. Almost immediately, the ball was lost forwards and the chance was gone. The question was raised about how valuable those points may be come the end of the game as the hooter went.
In complete contrast to the rather lacklustre start to the match, the second half started at a much higher pace, with Wigan forward Taylor coming within inches of a try. Having been given an advantage, the centre was dropped short of the line. If Hull thought that that would be the end of the danger, they were mistaken, as the referee pulled the game back for the penalty. Richards stepped up and put the two points over, making it a 2 score game. After this, the game once again returned to the scrappy and error-strewn affair that it was before the break, meaning that chances were few and far-between. When one did arrive, it was Hull that profited. After another period of Wigan pressure, Jamie Shaw intercepted a ball and broke the Wigan line. His path to the try line looked straight-forward, putting the game back in the balance. However, the Hull man did not reckon on the pace of Josh Charnley. The Wigan winger, who is arguably the fastest player on the field, chased Shaw down and managed to tackle him, thus saving his side 6 points. However, with the Hull crowd lifted, would that break lead to a comeback? Unfortunately for Hull, the momentum that threatened to shift was checked almost immediately by the seemingly serious injury to the Wigan forward Goulding. In a tough tackle with a Hull player, Goulding failed to put his head in the right place, knocking him unconscious and leaving him prone on the Wembley turf. After a good few minutes of treatment, he left the field on a stretcher. The latest reports suggest that he will make a full recovery, which is very good news.
Once the game restarted, any momentum Hull may have gained had well and truly gone. Every time they progressed into the Wigan final third, the Hull players dropped the ball. Wigan also began to get into that pattern, with the second half slowed to a crawl, punctuated by the mistakes and errors. Eventually, one of those errors lead to a kickable opportunity for Wigan's Richards. The kicker remained composed, taking the score to 10-0. As the final 10 minutes moved into focus, Hull were in desperate need for a try, and they began to put pressure on the Wigan defence. It was met by excellent defence, at times last-ditch, with only one clear cut chance to show for it. Yeaman charged down a Wigan clearance, knocking it forwards for Briscoe to chase. Had the winger dived onto the ball, the arrears may have been reduced. As it was, a last ditch tackle ensured that Wigan's scorecard remained unblemished. After all that pressure, it was Wigan that finished the scoring, with the excellent Sam Tomkins going over to cap a magnificent performance. The full back has had a fantastic campaign once again, and if this is to be his Wigan swansong, with rumours that he is on the move to the NRL, he has acquitted himself admirably during his time at the DW Stadium.
After the Tomkins try, there was barely time for Richards to add the 2 points before the final hooter sounded, ensuring that the score finished 16-0, handing Wigan another trophy. They will be hoping for the more elusive one in a couple of months, where they will have to wrestle their way past sides like Warrington, Huddersfield and Leeds to win the Super League title. Hull will be disappointed, but they have shown enough to suggest that this won't be the last time we see them at Wembley. The showcase was a touch more one-sided and error-strewn than we are used to seeing, but it still proved an entertaining game, needing that final Tomkins try to put it to bed.
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