2009 Challenge Cup Final
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Carnegie Challenge Cup Final was played on 29 August 2009 at Wembley Stadium
, in London
between Huddersfield Giants
and Warrington Wolves
. It was the first Challenge Cup final since 1985–86 that any of the 'Big Four' (Bradford
, Leeds
, St. Helens, and Wigan
) had failed to reach. It was the first final for Warrington in nineteen years, since they were beaten by Wigan in 1991. It was the second final in four years for Huddersfield following their appearance in the 2006 final, but their first appearance at Wembley Stadium in forty-seven years.
On route to the final, Warrington defeated Wigan 39–26 in their semi final at the Stobart Stadium Halton
in Widnes
on 8 August 2009, and on the day after Huddersfield beat holders St Helens 24–14 in Warrington
's Halliwell Jones Stadium
.
team to reach a final, they must have played four rounds. Five rounds must have been played for a team playing in the Co-operative Championship, and for an amateur or foreign club, the number varies depending on which round they entered the competition. Because both Warrington Wolves
and Huddersfield Giants
are Super League clubs, they both entered the competition in the fourth round, receiving byes in the third.
Warrington's cup-run started with a home tie to Championship One part-timers York City Knights. Their last meeting in the Challenge cup in 2000 resulted in a near-whitewashing 84–1 defeat. Lee Briers
replaced Michael Monaghan
at scrum-half while Hicks took over kicking duties, with Martin Gleeson
left out over speculation of a move to Wigan Warriors
, which eventually came true. Warrington scored first thanks to a try from Simon Grix
in the second minute, but York struck back immediately afterwards to take the lead with an effort from fullback Danny Ratcliffe. Vinnie Anderson
and Ben Harrison
both scored tries which were converted before sloppy defence allowed Paul Hughes to score an opportunist York try midway through the first half. Warrington took a half time lead of 28–10 thanks to Ben Westwood
and the first try of the season for Michael Cooper. Warrington kept a clean sheet in the second half, as they doubled their first half tally. Tries from Chris Bridge
, Lee Briers
, Vinnie Anderson, Louis Anderson
and Paul Johnson took the game away from York, a cause not helped by the sending off of prop Danny Ekis after 64 minutes The game finished 52–10, with Garreth Carvell
returning from injury to pick up the man of the match award.
Their fifth round match was a fixture away at the Featherstone Rovers' Chris Moyles Stadium
in which they again scored 56 points. The game was fullback Richard Mathers
' debut for the Wolves following his transfer from the Wigan Warriors in exchange for Martin Gleeson. Rovers scored first thanks to Tommy Saxton
on the wing, and threatened to score another, although an interception from Hicks was returned for a 70-metre try. Monoghan then set up Mathers in support who scored the away team's second try. A deflected kick picked up by Westwood provided another Warrington try for Monaghan. Although a knock-on from Chris Riley
gave the Rovers good field position, they failed to score, and Warrington extended the lead to 8–20 at half time thanks to a try from Paul Wood
. Warrington scored first after the break following some tidy passing between Monoghan and Jon Clarke
, with Hicks eventually scoring the try, before the Rovers scored their second and last try of the match through Tom Haughey
. A further Warrington try from Hicks, as well as a try worked by ex-Wigan pair Mickey Higham
and Mathers were followed by tries from Harrison, Riley and Bridge to end the game comprehensively in Warrington's favour, with ten tries in total being scored by the away side.
On 30 May, Hull witnessed only the second ever Challenge Cup game to be decided by the golden point
rule, as Hull Kingston Rovers proved a tougher outfit than both of Warrington's previous sub-Super League opponents. Hull Kingston Rovers started better, and seized the initiative after just three minutes, with Paul Cooke's long pass to Peter Fox
proving an opportunity for Kris Welham
. Despite multiple handling errors from Simon Grix, the home side failed to extend their lead. Two goal-line dropouts eventually lead to Vinnie Anderson crashing over the try-line on the 16th minute, in front of the post; Chris Bridge converted to level the scores 6–6, which it remained until half-time thanks to a last resort tackle from fullback Shaun Briscoe
to deny Ben Harrison a try. Monaghan retreated from the match in the 31st minute, but Warrington took the lead at the start of the second half when Jon Clarke finished off a Matt King break on the wing. Hull Kingston Rovers replied with two tries of their own in five minutes, from Clint Newton
, and later Ben Galea
following a kick from Paul Cooke which deceived Richie Mathers. With the scores already 18–12, Rovers extended their lead further on the hour with a break that covered half the "New" Craven Park pitch from Jake Webster
. Matt King plucked Lee Briers' kick into the corner for a Warrington try and Chris Bridge made the scores level with another try in the 70th minute. Bridge converted his own try to give Warrington a slender two-point lead before a penalty conceded for offside provided Michael Dobson with an opportunity to level the game again. A knock on from the resulting kick-off gave Lee Briers a chance to land a drop goal, but he sliced the ball, forcing the game into extra time. He missed two further chances, before kicking the ball between the uprights in front of the visiting Warrington fans in the 85th minute.
This victory set up a semi-final date with Wigan Warriors, the most successful team in the Challenge Cup's history, at the Stobart Stadium Halton in Widnes
. Despite a third minute Ben Westwood try disallowed by video referee Phil Bentham for obstruction, Warrington again fell behind before replying strongly, with Phil Bailey
returning from injury to give Wigan a 6–0 lead after seven minutes, before Pat Richards
scored his 1000th Wigan career point with a penalty goal to extend the lead by a further two points. Bailey was soon withdrawn with an injury to his Achilles
which ended his match day. Three tries came in quick succession as Warrington struck back, with Matt King bursting through four defenders, Louis Anderson taking advantage of a mistake from Amos Roberts
, and Briers weaving through the defensive line to take the scores to 18–8 following three successful conversions from Chris Bridge. Although Andy Coley
was held over the try-line, Wigan's attack on the Warrington line was otherwise dull, and further tries from Michael Cooper and Matt King put the game beyond the Warriors by half-time. Warrington scored first in the second half, with Matt King gathering the high ball from Lee Briers unopposed to complete his hat-trick. A spirited Wigan fightback followed thanks to Warrington handling errors in their own half, with Sam Tomkins
gathering his own kick for a try in the 55th minute, Andy Coley scoring from a Paul Prescott
offload, and Thomas Leuluai
defeating Richie Mathers in a one-on-one tackle. Richards' perfect kicking game reduced the margin to just six points, before a Lee Briers drop goal from thirty metres out and a Chris Hicks try put the game once again beyond Wigan's reach.
will be between Outwood Grange College
of Wakefield and Castleford High School
.
Classical soprano Hayley Westenra
was the headline pre-match entertainment, performing the cup final anthem, "Abide with Me
", and the British national anthem
. Supporting Westenra were the Black Dyke Band
and the ACM Gospel Choir
.
Players from the 1975 final, played by Warrington and Widnes and including Mike Nicholas
, 'Big' Jim Mills and Doug Laughton
, were re-united before kick-off.
The coaches for both teams were from the same part of New South Wales
and had even played together for the St. George Dragons
in their 1993 NSWRL season grand final loss to the Brisbane Broncos
.
The BBC broadcasting team included commentators Dave Woods
and Jonathan Davies, presenters Clare Balding
, Robbie Paul
, Damian Johnson
and Tanya Arnold and experts Justin Morgan
and Brian Noble
, the coaches of Hull Kingston Rovers
and Wigan Warriors
respectively.
PLAYERS
PLAYERS
FB
1
Brett Hodgson
(c)
FB
30
Richard Mathers
WG
21
Leroy Cudjoe
WG
19
Chris Riley
CE
11
Jamahl Lolesi
CE
4
Matt King
CE
4
Paul Whatuira
CE
25
Chris Bridge
WG
5
David Hodgson
WG
23
Chris Hicks
SO
3
Kevin Brown
SO
13
Vinnie Anderson
SH
7
Luke Robinson
SH
6
Lee Briers
PR
16
Keith Mason
PR
8
Adrian Morley
(c)
HK
20
Scott Moore
HK
7
Michael Monaghan
PR
10
Darrell Griffin
PR
16
Garreth Carvell
SR
6
Liam Fulton
SR
11
Louis Anderson
SR
13
Stephen Wild
SR
12
Ben Westwood
LF
9
David Faiumu
LF
24
Ben Harrison
Interchanges:
Interchanges:
8
Eorl Crabtree
18
Michael Cooper
15
Paul Jackson
2
Paul Johnson
24
Shaun Lunt
14
Mickey Higham
2
Martin Aspinwall
28
Tyrone McCarthy
Coach:
Nathan Brown
Coach:
Tony Smith
MATCH RULES
is awarded to the Man of the Match in each year's Challenge Cup final and this year Michael Monaghan
became the third Australian in history to win it.
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
between Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
and Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
. It was the first Challenge Cup final since 1985–86 that any of the 'Big Four' (Bradford
Bradford Bulls
Bradford Bulls is a professional rugby league club based in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. They play in the European Super League and are currently joint 10th in the league....
, Leeds
Leeds Rhinos
Leeds Rhinos is an English professional rugby league football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. The club won the 2011 Super League and became the most successful club in the Super League era, beating St Helens 32-16 on 8th October 2011. Formed in 1890, Leeds competes in Europe's Super League...
, St. Helens, and Wigan
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
) had failed to reach. It was the first final for Warrington in nineteen years, since they were beaten by Wigan in 1991. It was the second final in four years for Huddersfield following their appearance in the 2006 final, but their first appearance at Wembley Stadium in forty-seven years.
On route to the final, Warrington defeated Wigan 39–26 in their semi final at the Stobart Stadium Halton
Halton Stadium
The Stobart Stadium Halton is a rugby league stadium in Widnes, England. The Widnes Vikings play their home games there as do Everton Reserves...
in Widnes
Widnes
Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn...
on 8 August 2009, and on the day after Huddersfield beat holders St Helens 24–14 in Warrington
Warrington
Warrington is a town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. It lies 16 miles east of Liverpool, 19 miles west of Manchester and 8 miles south of St Helens...
's Halliwell Jones Stadium
Halliwell Jones Stadium
Halliwell Jones Stadium is a rugby league stadium in Warrington, England that is the home ground of Warrington Wolves. It has also staged Challenge Cup semi-finals, the European Nations Final and the National League Grand Finals' Day....
.
Route to final
Due to the way teams at different professional levels are introduced into the tournament, the number of rounds needed to reach a Challenge Cup final depends on the team, and the league they play in. For a Super LeagueSuper League
Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from...
team to reach a final, they must have played four rounds. Five rounds must have been played for a team playing in the Co-operative Championship, and for an amateur or foreign club, the number varies depending on which round they entered the competition. Because both Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves
Warrington Wolves are a professional rugby league football club based in Warrington, England that competes in Super League. They play at the Halliwell Jones Stadium, having moved there from Wilderspool in 2003....
and Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants
Huddersfield Giants are a professional rugby league club from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire who play in the European Super League competition. They play their home games at the Galpharm Stadium which is shared with Huddersfield Town F.C....
are Super League clubs, they both entered the competition in the fourth round, receiving byes in the third.
Warrington Wolves
| Rnd | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | BYE | ||
| 4 | Warrington Wolves [SL] | 56 – 10 | York City Knights York City Knights York City Knights Rugby League Club is a British professional rugby league club hailing from York. They play at the Huntington Stadium, situated to the north of York city centre... [C1] |
| 5 | Featherstone Rovers Featherstone Rovers Featherstone Rovers are a semi-professional rugby league club, based in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, England. They currently play in the Championship. The Rovers are one of the last vestiges of "small town teams" that were once common in rugby league during the early twentieth century... [CC] |
8 – 56 | Warrington Wolves [SL] |
| QF | Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006... [SL] |
24 – 25 | Warrington Wolves [SL] |
| SF | Wigan Warriors Wigan Warriors Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011.... [SL] |
26 – 39 | Warrington Wolves [SL] |
| SL = Super League Super League Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from... , CC = Co-operative Championship, C1 = Championship One Neutral semi-final venue: Stobart Stadium Halton Halton Stadium The Stobart Stadium Halton is a rugby league stadium in Widnes, England. The Widnes Vikings play their home games there as do Everton Reserves... , Widnes |
|||
Warrington's cup-run started with a home tie to Championship One part-timers York City Knights. Their last meeting in the Challenge cup in 2000 resulted in a near-whitewashing 84–1 defeat. Lee Briers
Lee Briers
Lee Briers is a professional rugby league player who currently plays for Warrington Wolves in the Super League. He previously played for St Helens, and at international level he won 23 caps for Wales, many of those as captain...
replaced Michael Monaghan
Michael Monaghan
Michael Monaghan is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Warrington Wolves in the European Super League.He played with the Canberra Raiders from 2001 to 2003....
at scrum-half while Hicks took over kicking duties, with Martin Gleeson
Martin Gleeson
Martin Gleeson is an English professional rugby league footballer, who plays for Hull in the Super League. A Great Britain and England international representative , and /, he previously played for Wigan Warriors, Huddersfield Giants, St. Helens and Warrington...
left out over speculation of a move to Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
, which eventually came true. Warrington scored first thanks to a try from Simon Grix
Simon Grix
Simon Grix born 28 September 1985 in England is a rugby league player for Warrington Wolves in the European Super League. Simon Grix's position of choice is as a stand-off.-International career:...
in the second minute, but York struck back immediately afterwards to take the lead with an effort from fullback Danny Ratcliffe. Vinnie Anderson
Vinnie Anderson
Vinnie Anderson is a professional rugby league footballer for the Salford City Reds of Europe's Super League competition. A New Zealand international representative loose-forward or stand-off, he previously played for St. Helens, the Warrington Wolves and NRL side, the New Zealand Warriors...
and Ben Harrison
Ben Harrison (rugby league)
Ben Harrison is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Super League...
both scored tries which were converted before sloppy defence allowed Paul Hughes to score an opportunist York try midway through the first half. Warrington took a half time lead of 28–10 thanks to Ben Westwood
Ben Westwood
Ben Westwood is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Europe's Super League. An England international representative forward, he previously played for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats before moving to Warrington in 2002 and winning the 2009 Challenge Cup with...
and the first try of the season for Michael Cooper. Warrington kept a clean sheet in the second half, as they doubled their first half tally. Tries from Chris Bridge
Chris Bridge
Chris Bridge is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays for Warrington Wolves and has also represented Ireland and has also been called up the England squad.-Playing career:...
, Lee Briers
Lee Briers
Lee Briers is a professional rugby league player who currently plays for Warrington Wolves in the Super League. He previously played for St Helens, and at international level he won 23 caps for Wales, many of those as captain...
, Vinnie Anderson, Louis Anderson
Louis Anderson
Louis Anderson is a professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for Warrington Wolves of Super League. A New Zealand international representative forward, he previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League competition...
and Paul Johnson took the game away from York, a cause not helped by the sending off of prop Danny Ekis after 64 minutes The game finished 52–10, with Garreth Carvell
Garreth Carvell
Garreth Carvell is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays for Warrington Wolves of Super League. His position is prop-forward...
returning from injury to pick up the man of the match award.
Their fifth round match was a fixture away at the Featherstone Rovers' Chris Moyles Stadium
Post Office Road
Post Office Road, currently styled as the Bigfellas Stadium for sponsorship purposes , is a rugby league ground in Featherstone, near Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England...
in which they again scored 56 points. The game was fullback Richard Mathers
Richard Mathers
Richard 'Richie' Mathers is an English rugby league footballerwho currently plays for the Castleford Tigers of Europe's Super League competition...
' debut for the Wolves following his transfer from the Wigan Warriors in exchange for Martin Gleeson. Rovers scored first thanks to Tommy Saxton
Tommy Saxton
Tommy Saxton born 3 October 1983 in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, England is an English rugby league player for the Featherstone Rovers of National League One. He plays as a full-back and can play in the centre's and on the wing....
on the wing, and threatened to score another, although an interception from Hicks was returned for a 70-metre try. Monoghan then set up Mathers in support who scored the away team's second try. A deflected kick picked up by Westwood provided another Warrington try for Monaghan. Although a knock-on from Chris Riley
Chris Riley (rugby league)
Chris Riley is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Europe's Super League.-Playing career:...
gave the Rovers good field position, they failed to score, and Warrington extended the lead to 8–20 at half time thanks to a try from Paul Wood
Paul Wood
Paul Wood is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Super League.Wood played for Warrington in the 2010 Challenge Cup Final victory over the Leeds Rhinos....
. Warrington scored first after the break following some tidy passing between Monoghan and Jon Clarke
Jon Clarke
Jon Clarke is a hooker for Super League rugby league club Widnes Vikings. He has previously played for Wigan Warriors, London Broncos & Warrington Wolves....
, with Hicks eventually scoring the try, before the Rovers scored their second and last try of the match through Tom Haughey
Tom Haughey
Tom Haughey born 30 January 1982 Keighley, West Yorkshire, England is a rugby league footballer for Hunslet Hawks.His position of choice is in the Second-row...
. A further Warrington try from Hicks, as well as a try worked by ex-Wigan pair Mickey Higham
Mickey Higham
Mickey Higham is an English rugby league player who currently plays for English club Warrington Wolves in the Super League competition...
and Mathers were followed by tries from Harrison, Riley and Bridge to end the game comprehensively in Warrington's favour, with ten tries in total being scored by the away side.
On 30 May, Hull witnessed only the second ever Challenge Cup game to be decided by the golden point
Golden point
The golden point, a sudden death overtime system, is used to resolve drawn rugby league football matches. The term is borrowed from soccer's now defunct golden goal.-Australasia:...
rule, as Hull Kingston Rovers proved a tougher outfit than both of Warrington's previous sub-Super League opponents. Hull Kingston Rovers started better, and seized the initiative after just three minutes, with Paul Cooke's long pass to Peter Fox
Peter Fox
Peter Fox was a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1966 to 1986. From 1971 to 1977, he served as Speaker of the legislature....
proving an opportunity for Kris Welham
Kris Welham
Kris Welham is an English rugby league player who currently plays for Hull Kingston Rovers in the Super League competition. His usual position is centre....
. Despite multiple handling errors from Simon Grix, the home side failed to extend their lead. Two goal-line dropouts eventually lead to Vinnie Anderson crashing over the try-line on the 16th minute, in front of the post; Chris Bridge converted to level the scores 6–6, which it remained until half-time thanks to a last resort tackle from fullback Shaun Briscoe
Shaun Briscoe
Shaun Briscoe is an English professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Widnes Vikings of Super League. An England international representative outside back, he has played club football for Wigan, Hull, and Hull Kingston Rovers....
to deny Ben Harrison a try. Monaghan retreated from the match in the 31st minute, but Warrington took the lead at the start of the second half when Jon Clarke finished off a Matt King break on the wing. Hull Kingston Rovers replied with two tries of their own in five minutes, from Clint Newton
Clint Newton
Clint Newton is an American born professional rugby league footballer who plays for Hull Kingston Rovers in Super League. He previously played for Newcastle Knights and Melbourne Storm in the National Rugby League competition...
, and later Ben Galea
Ben Galea
Ben Galea is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for Hull Kingston Rovers in the European Super League. He previously played for the Balmain Tigers and Wests Tigers...
following a kick from Paul Cooke which deceived Richie Mathers. With the scores already 18–12, Rovers extended their lead further on the hour with a break that covered half the "New" Craven Park pitch from Jake Webster
Jake Webster
Jake Webster is a New Zealand National rugby league player. He plays the position of Centre and Wing for Hull Kingston Rovers Rugby League Club.-Australia:...
. Matt King plucked Lee Briers' kick into the corner for a Warrington try and Chris Bridge made the scores level with another try in the 70th minute. Bridge converted his own try to give Warrington a slender two-point lead before a penalty conceded for offside provided Michael Dobson with an opportunity to level the game again. A knock on from the resulting kick-off gave Lee Briers a chance to land a drop goal, but he sliced the ball, forcing the game into extra time. He missed two further chances, before kicking the ball between the uprights in front of the visiting Warrington fans in the 85th minute.
This victory set up a semi-final date with Wigan Warriors, the most successful team in the Challenge Cup's history, at the Stobart Stadium Halton in Widnes
Widnes
Widnes is an industrial town within the borough of Halton, in Cheshire, England, with an urban area population of 57,663 in 2004. It is located on the northern bank of the River Mersey where the estuary narrows to form the Runcorn Gap. Directly to the south across the Mersey is the town of Runcorn...
. Despite a third minute Ben Westwood try disallowed by video referee Phil Bentham for obstruction, Warrington again fell behind before replying strongly, with Phil Bailey
Phil Bailey
Phil Bailey is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wigan Warriors of the European Super League competition. Bailey is a former player for New South Wales and Australia. He previously played for the Cronulla Sharks, Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles and the Northern Eagles...
returning from injury to give Wigan a 6–0 lead after seven minutes, before Pat Richards
Pat Richards
Pat Richards is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Wigan Warriors of Europe's Super League. An Ireland and Exiles international representative winger, he previously played in the National Rugby League for Sydney clubs the Parramatta Eels and Wests Tigers, winning the 2005...
scored his 1000th Wigan career point with a penalty goal to extend the lead by a further two points. Bailey was soon withdrawn with an injury to his Achilles
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
which ended his match day. Three tries came in quick succession as Warrington struck back, with Matt King bursting through four defenders, Louis Anderson taking advantage of a mistake from Amos Roberts
Amos Roberts
Amos Roberts is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for English club Wigan Warriors of Super League. A country New South Wales representative prolific try-scoring back, he previously played in Australasia's National Rugby League for the St...
, and Briers weaving through the defensive line to take the scores to 18–8 following three successful conversions from Chris Bridge. Although Andy Coley
Andy Coley
Andy Coley is a rugby league player who plays for Wigan Warriors. He previously played at Salford City Reds before transferring after six years at the club...
was held over the try-line, Wigan's attack on the Warrington line was otherwise dull, and further tries from Michael Cooper and Matt King put the game beyond the Warriors by half-time. Warrington scored first in the second half, with Matt King gathering the high ball from Lee Briers unopposed to complete his hat-trick. A spirited Wigan fightback followed thanks to Warrington handling errors in their own half, with Sam Tomkins
Sam Tomkins
A pre-season unofficial friendly match provided Tomkins his first experience against top-flight opposition as he came off the bench during Lee Briers' testimonial match in a 30–22 loss to Warrington Wolves. Noble followed this up by providing Tomkins, aged 19, with his first team debut on 12 May...
gathering his own kick for a try in the 55th minute, Andy Coley scoring from a Paul Prescott
Paul Prescott
Paul Prescott is an English rugby league player. He plays prop for the Wigan Warriors. Paul is also known in celebrity circles for being the son of former UK deputy prime-minister and now lifelong Labour peer, John Prescott...
offload, and Thomas Leuluai
Thomas Leuluai
Thomas Leuluai is a New Zealand professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Wigan Warriors in the Super League. His position is at half-back...
defeating Richie Mathers in a one-on-one tackle. Richards' perfect kicking game reduced the margin to just six points, before a Lee Briers drop goal from thirty metres out and a Chris Hicks try put the game once again beyond Wigan's reach.
Huddersfield Giants
| Rnd | Home team | Score | Away team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | BYE | ||
| 4 | Harlequins RL [SL] | 16 – 42 | Huddersfield Giants [SL] |
| 5 | Huddersfield Giants [SL] | 38 – 12 | Rochdale Hornets Rochdale Hornets Rochdale Hornets RLFC is an English professional rugby league club from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England. They currently play in Championship One... [CC] |
| QF | Huddersfield Giants [SL] | 16 – 14 | Castleford Tigers Castleford Tigers Castleford Tigers are a professional rugby league club based in Castleford in West Yorkshire, England. They participate in the professional European competition Super League. They are sometimes known as 'Cas', 'Cas Tigers', 'Classy Cas' or the 'Black & Amber'... [SL] |
| SF | St Helens RLFC [SL] | 14 – 24 | Huddersfield Giants [SL] |
| SL = Super League Super League Super League is the top-level professional rugby league football club competition in Europe. As a result of sponsorship from engage Mutual Assurance the competition is currently officially known as the engage Super League. The League features fourteen teams: thirteen from England and one from... , CC = Co-operative Championship Neutral semi-final venue: Halliwell Jones Stadium Halliwell Jones Stadium Halliwell Jones Stadium is a rugby league stadium in Warrington, England that is the home ground of Warrington Wolves. It has also staged Challenge Cup semi-finals, the European Nations Final and the National League Grand Finals' Day.... , Warrington |
|||
Pre-match
The cup final curtain raiser, a match contesting the Year 7 boys Champion SchoolsChampion Schools
The Champion Schools tournament is a full contact knock-out rugby league football competition open to every secondary school in England, Scotland and Wales and is the largest rugby league tournament in the World "RFL-13-05-07" The competition is operated by the Rugby Football League and the...
will be between Outwood Grange College
Outwood Grange College
Outwood Grange Academy is a modern comprehensive school and Sixth Form in Outwood, near Wakefield, England. It has a mixed intake of both boys and girls aged 11–18, and with in excess of 2400 pupils is one of the largest schools in England. The college, established in 1971, was formerly known as...
of Wakefield and Castleford High School
Castleford High School Technology and Sports College
Castleford Academy is a high school in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England for children aged 11–16....
.
Classical soprano Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
was the headline pre-match entertainment, performing the cup final anthem, "Abide with Me
Abide With Me
The hymn tune most often used with this hymn is "Eventide" composed by William Henry Monk in 1861.Alternate tunes include:* "Abide with Me," Henry Lyte, 1847* "Morecambe", Frederick C...
", and the British national anthem
God Save the Queen
"God Save the Queen" is an anthem used in a number of Commonwealth realms and British Crown Dependencies. The words of the song, like its title, are adapted to the gender of the current monarch, with "King" replacing "Queen", "he" replacing "she", and so forth, when a king reigns...
. Supporting Westenra were the Black Dyke Band
Black Dyke Band
The Black Dyke Band, formerly the Black Dyke Mills Band, is one of the oldest and best-known brass bands in the world. The band has won many prizes and competitions over the years...
and the ACM Gospel Choir
ACM Gospel Choir
The ACM Gospel Choir is a gospel choir made up of students of the Academy of Contemporary Music. The group first came to public attention in the summer of 2008 when they gained 4th place in BBC One's Saturday night show Last Choir Standing...
.
Players from the 1975 final, played by Warrington and Widnes and including Mike Nicholas
Mike Nicholas
Mike Nicholas is a former rugby union and professional rugby league footballer of the 1970s and '80s, coach of the 1980s…2000s, and current Wales Rugby League president, who at club level has played rugby union for Aberavon RFC, at representative level has played rugby league for Great Britain,...
, 'Big' Jim Mills and Doug Laughton
Doug Laughton
C. Doug Laughton is an English former rugby league footballer and coach. He played club football as a , or / for St. Helens, Wigan, Widnes and Canterbury Bulldogs...
, were re-united before kick-off.
The coaches for both teams were from the same part of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and had even played together for the St. George Dragons
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
in their 1993 NSWRL season grand final loss to the Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
.
The BBC broadcasting team included commentators Dave Woods
Dave Woods
Dave Woods is a British sports commentator. He covers rugby league and football for the BBC as well as occasional freelance work for Five. Woods is the main man on the Super League Show and occasionally covers Premier League games for Match of the Day outside the rugby league season. He has...
and Jonathan Davies, presenters Clare Balding
Clare Balding
Clare Balding is a BBC sports presenter, journalist and jockey.-Early life:In 1989 and 1990, Balding was a leading amateur flat jockey and Champion Lady Rider in 1990....
, Robbie Paul
Robbie Paul
Robert Rawiri 'Robbie' Hunter-Paul is a New Zealand rugby league player. He currently plays for Leigh Centurions in England. He played for the New Zealand national team 27 times. He is the younger brother of Leeds Carnegie player Henry Paul.-Early years:Born in Tokoroa, New Zealand, his junior...
, Damian Johnson
Damian Johnson (broadcaster)
Damian Johnson is a broadcaster with BBC Sport who was born in Hull.He currently works as a reporter on the football programmes Match of the Day and Football Focus, as well as presenting and reporting on various other sporting programs, notably including the Super League Show on BBC1 in regions in...
and Tanya Arnold and experts Justin Morgan
Justin Morgan (rugby league)
Justin Morgan is a rugby league coach and former footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. He is currently an assistant coach of the Canberra Raiders. His position of preference was at prop. He has also worked as a commentator.-Playing career:Morgan's career started with the Parramatta Eels...
and Brian Noble
Brian Noble (rugby league)
Brian 'Nobby' D. Noble is an English former rugby league footballer. Noble is also the former coach of the Great Britain National Rugby League team. He was also the captain of the 1984 Great Britain touring team to Australia...
, the coaches of Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers
Hull Kingston Rovers or Hull KR is an English professional rugby league football club based in Hull, England. The club formed in 1882 and currently competes in Super League, having won promotion from National League One in 2006...
and Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors
Wigan Warriors is an English rugby league club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester. The club's first team squad competes in the engage Super League and the team are the current Challenge Cup holders as of the 27th August 2011....
respectively.
First half
Warrington kicked off and after the game's first set of six tackles, Brett Hodgson's clearing kick was charged down by Louis Anderson who re-gathered and was tackled close to Huddersfield's try-line. Moments later, in only the second minute of the game, Richie Mathers from close range barged over between the uprights and the video referee ruled that a Huddersfield hand had not prevented him from grounding the ball on the line. Chris Bridge's straightforward conversion put the Wolves ahead 6 nil. Just on the seven-minute mark, after repeat sets attacking Warrington's line, Huddersfield's Shaun Lunt appeared to have scored a similar try, forcing his way to the line beneath the uprights to put the ball down, although it was controversially denied by the video referee, who ruled a double movement. However in the 9th minute, the Giants were working the ball out of their own half when David Faiumu offloaded from a tackle to a flying Brett Hodgson who then drew the fullback in and passed to Lunt who outran the defence to score. Hodgson successfully kicked the extras so the scores were level at 6 all. Only about two minutes later Warrington replied with another close-range try, this time from Michael Monaghan running from dummy-half and stretching out from the tackle to put the ball down. Bridge made no mistake with the conversion so the Wolves' lead was 12 - 6. Then in the fifteenth minute Warrington scored again, moving the ball out to the right to Chris Hicks' wing where he crossed, improving the field position for his kicker before putting the ball down. Bridges kicked the goal, pushing the Wolves' lead out to 18 - 6, with less than a quarter of the match played. Shortly after, Warrington appeared to have scored again when Matt King leapt for a Lee Briers bomb and came down with the ball over the line. However the video referee ruled that he'd taken the ball from a Huddersfield defender's hands in mid-air so it was disallowed. In the 24th minute, Huddersfield got repeat sets in Warrington's half and worked the ball out to the left wing where David Hodgson crossed untouched, but again the video referee disallowed the try, this time the video referee ruled that a member of the Warrington defence had being taken out. Huddersfield continued to dominate possession and field position and eventually, less than four minutes from half-time, after keeping the ball alive they scored out on the right hand side through Brett Hodgson. He missed the difficult conversion attempt so the score was 18 - 10 in favour of Warrington and would remain at that till the half-time siren.Second half
After the break, the contest became quite an even arm wrestle and no points were scored until the 60th minute, when from about 15 metres out from Huddersfield's line, Michael Monaghan ran from dummy half then passed from the tackle to Vinnie Anderson who hit a big gap and crashed over under the posts. The kick for Bridge was simple so the score was 24 - 10 in Warrington's favour. Four minutes later Huddersfield were penalised for a high tackle on Lee Briers by Scott Moore less than thirty metres from their line. Warrington decided to take the shot at goal and Bridge missed his first kick of the day so the score remained unchanged. The Wolves then successfully kept Huddersfield penned up in their own half, protecting their lead, until the seventy-seventh minute when the Giants got a consolation try: a Warrington mistake saw Huddersfield get a set of six in the opposition half and after keeping the ball alive and sending it through the hands out to David Hodgson on the wing, he stepped outside one defender and inside the next before reaching an arm out of the third defender's tackle to bounce the ball off the try-line. The video referee was again called upon to award the try and Brett Hodgson's sideline conversion was successful, bringing the score to 24 - 16. With just over a minute remaining, Warrington were down close to Huddersfield's line when the ball went to Lee Briers who kicked a field goal, putting the final score at 25 - 16.Details
Brett HodgsonBrett Hodgson
Brett Hodgson is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Super League...
(c)
Richard MathersRichard Mathers
Richard 'Richie' Mathers is an English rugby league footballerwho currently plays for the Castleford Tigers of Europe's Super League competition...
Leroy CudjoeLeroy Cudjoe
Leroy Cudjoe is an English professional rugby league footballer with the Huddersfield Giants of Super League.Leroy attended Newsome High School and Sports College. Leroy's previous club is the Newsome Panthers...
Chris RileyChris Riley (rugby league)
Chris Riley is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Europe's Super League.-Playing career:...
Jamahl LolesiJamahl Lolesi
Jamahl Lolesi is a New Zealand rugby league player for the Huddersfield Giants of Super League. A New Zealand and Samoa international representative, he has previously played for Wests Tigers, Bulldogs and Canberra Raiders in the National Rugby League...
Matt King Paul WhatuiraPaul Whatuira
Paul Whatuira is a professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL...
Chris Bridge
Chris Bridge is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays for Warrington Wolves and has also represented Ireland and has also been called up the England squad.-Playing career:...
David Hodgson Chris Hicks Kevin Brown Vinnie AndersonVinnie Anderson
Vinnie Anderson is a professional rugby league footballer for the Salford City Reds of Europe's Super League competition. A New Zealand international representative loose-forward or stand-off, he previously played for St. Helens, the Warrington Wolves and NRL side, the New Zealand Warriors...
Luke RobinsonLuke Robinson
Luke Robinson is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Huddersfield Giants of Super League...
Lee BriersLee Briers
Lee Briers is a professional rugby league player who currently plays for Warrington Wolves in the Super League. He previously played for St Helens, and at international level he won 23 caps for Wales, many of those as captain...
Keith MasonKeith Mason (rugby league)
Keith Mason is an English born professional rugby league footballer who at representative level has played for Wales, and at club level for Wakefield Trinity Wildcats, Melbourne Storm, St. Helens, Castleford Tigers, and Huddersfield Giants, playing at , i.e...
Adrian MorleyAdrian Morley
Adrian Morley is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Europe's Super League...
(c)
Scott MooreScott Moore (rugby league)
Scott Moore is a rugby league footballer who plays for Widnes Vikings in the European Super League.Scott Moore was the youngest ever Super League player when he made his debut at the JJB Stadium aged only 16....
Michael MonaghanMichael Monaghan
Michael Monaghan is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Warrington Wolves in the European Super League.He played with the Canberra Raiders from 2001 to 2003....
Darrell GriffinDarrell Griffin
Darrell Griffin is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Leeds Rhinos of Super League. An England international representative prop forward, his former clubs include Oxford Cavaliers, London Broncos, Wakefield Trinity Wildcats and Huddersfield Giants.He is notable as being a top...
Garreth CarvellGarreth Carvell
Garreth Carvell is an English professional rugby league footballer who plays for Warrington Wolves of Super League. His position is prop-forward...
Liam FultonLiam Fulton
Liam Mark Fulton is an Australian professional rugby league footballer. He play for the Wests Tigers in the National Rugby League competition. Fulton primarily plays at lock....
Louis AndersonLouis Anderson
Louis Anderson is a professional rugby league footballer who currently plays for Warrington Wolves of Super League. A New Zealand international representative forward, he previously played for the New Zealand Warriors in the National Rugby League competition...
Stephen WildStephen Wild
Stephen Wild is a professional rugby league player for Huddersfield Giants.Wild signed for Wigan Warriors from local amateurs Wigan St. Patrick's. He joined Wigan's first team after progressing through the lower ranks at the club, making his debut in 2001. He made his first representative...
Ben WestwoodBen Westwood
Ben Westwood is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Europe's Super League. An England international representative forward, he previously played for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats before moving to Warrington in 2002 and winning the 2009 Challenge Cup with...
David FaiumuDavid Faiumu
David Faiumu is a professional rugby league footballer for the Huddersfield Giants of Super League...
Ben Harrison (rugby league)
Ben Harrison is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Super League...
Eorl CrabtreeEorl Crabtree
Eorl Crabtree is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Huddersfield Giants of Super League. An England international representative prop forward, he has played his entire career to date at Huddersfield.-Biography:...
Michael Cooper Paul Jackson Paul Johnson Shaun LuntShaun Lunt
Shaun Lunt is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Huddersfield Giants of Super League. A hooker, he has played his entire top-level career to date with Huddersfield....
Mickey HighamMickey Higham
Mickey Higham is an English rugby league player who currently plays for English club Warrington Wolves in the Super League competition...
Martin AspinwallMartin Aspinwall
Martin Aspinwall is an English rugby league player. He is 185 cm in height and weighs 94 kg ....
Tyrone McCarthyTyrone McCarthy
Tyrone McCarthy is an English professional rugby league footballer for the Warrington Wolves of Super League.His debut was on the 14th August 2009 against Wigan Warriors following knee surgery....
Nathan Brown Tony Smith- Twelve interchanges per team, from four players.
- In case of draw, match to be replayed at Reebok StadiumReebok StadiumThe Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'...
, BoltonBoltonBolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
on 8 September. - Video referee present.
Man of the Match
The Lance Todd TrophyLance Todd Trophy
The Lance Todd Trophy is awarded to the Man-of-the-Match in rugby league football's Challenge Cup Final.The trophy was introduced in 1946, in memory of Lance Todd, the New Zealand-born player and administrator, who was killed in a road accident during the Second World War...
is awarded to the Man of the Match in each year's Challenge Cup final and this year Michael Monaghan
Michael Monaghan
Michael Monaghan is an Australian professional rugby league footballer who plays for the Warrington Wolves in the European Super League.He played with the Canberra Raiders from 2001 to 2003....
became the third Australian in history to win it.