RUGBY LEAGUE - ENGLISH CHALLENGE CUP
2010 TO 2020
2010
4th Round - Leeds Rhinos (48) @ (24) Hull FC - Leeds booked their place in the next round with a big offensive game at the KC Stadium. Leeds scored 8 tries with 4 from man-of-the-match Ryan Hall. The other tries came from Carl Ablett, Brent Webb (2) and Ian Kirke. Hull's tries came from Tom Briscoe, Jordan Tansey, Richard Whiting and Jordan Turner (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies, PAL)
5th Round - Catalans Dragons (35) @ (34) Celtic Crusaders - A see-saw game ended in favour of the visitors as the Dragons withstood a big comeback from the Crusaders to reach the Quarter Final. Catalans started strong and led 30-12 at the half. But the Crusaders found their rhythm and pulled the game back to 34-34 with 10 minutes remaining. With Golden Point extra-time looming, the Dragons Thomas Bosc kicked the game-winning drop goal with 30 seconds left to take the win. The Catalans tries came from Setaimata Sa (3), Steven Bell, Thomas Bosc and Dane Carlaw. The Crusaders tries came from Clinton Schifcofske, Vince Mellars, Frank Winternstein, Peter Lupton, Jarrod Sammut and Nick Youngquest (10, 2 Discs, BBC - French/Davies, PAL)
Quarter Final - Wigan Warriors (10) @ (12) Leeds Rhinos - A match-up of heavyweights of the British game was predicted to be a tough, physical affair and neither team disappointed despite a driving rain storm. Both teams saw the value in taking points whenever offered and all the scoring came from the boots of Wigans Pat Richards (5 goals) and Leeds Kevin Sinfield (4 goals) and the Warriors led 10-8 as the game entered the final minute. One final push by the Rhinos gave the game its only try as Full-back Lee Smith went over for the winning score on the last move of the match to put Leeds into the Semi-Finals (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Kear, PAL)
Semi-Final - Warrington Wolves (54) v (12) Catalans Dragons - Champions Warrington easily despatched the French side Catalans to book a place at Wembley in a bid to retain their trophy. The Wolves led 24-6 at the half through tries from Ben Harrison, Louis Anderson, Matt King and Chris Riley and never looked in trouble during the 2nd half as 5 further tries from Lee Briers, Louis Anderson (2), Richie Myler and Jon Clarke sealed the win. The Dargons could only muster 2 tries from Clint Greenshields. The Wolves also featured Michael Monaghan and Gareth Carvell. The Dragons also featured Thomas Bosc, Steven Bell and Dane Carlaw (10, 2 Discs, BBC - French/Kear, PAL)
Final - Leeds Rhinos (6) v (30) Warrington Wolves - Warrington retained the trophy with a dominating win at Wembley Stadium. Lee Briers won the Lance Todd trophy for the man-of-the-match but he was well supported by Chris Hicks who became only the 3rd player to score 3 tries in the final. Warrington led 14-0 at the half through tries from Ryan Atkins (2) and Chris Hicks and, despite a 2nd half fight-back from Leeds, the Wolves used great defense to keep the Rhinos at bay and take the Cup (10, Coverage includes post-game from the BBC interactive channel, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies, PAL)
2011
4th Round - Bradford Bulls (46) @ (34) Halifax - In a high scoring game, the Bulls Superleague pedigree showed through as they held off a spirited Halifax team to reach the 5th round. 10 tries were scored in the 1st half, with the Bulls ahead 32-24 at the break. The pace dropped in the 2nd half with only 4 tries scored but the Bulls kept their noses in front to see out the win. The Bulls tries came from Gareth Raynor (2), Shad Royston, Michael Platt, Elliott Whitehead, Patrick Ah Van, Tom Burgess and Ian Sibbit. The Halifax tries came from Jim Gannon, Sean Penkywicz, Frank Watene, Danny Jones, Sam Barlow and Bob Beswick. Coverage includes the 5th round draw (10, 2 Discs, BBC - French/Davies, PAL)
5th Round - Castleford Tigers (20) @ (18) Wakefield Wildcats - Castleford won the 5th round game in sensational fashion with a "Golden Point" extra-time win at Belle Vue against their big local rivals. The Tigers forced extra-time with a late penalty then just before the extra priod half-time, the Wildcats conceded a penalty that Kirk Dixon converted to take the win. The Wakefield tries came from Glenn Morrison and Tommy Lee while the Castleford tries came from Brett Ferres, Rangi Chase and Danny Orr (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies, PAL)
Quarter Final - Wigan Warriors (44) @ (24) Warrington Wolves - A highly-anticipated matchup of the top 2 teams in the Superleague didn't disappoint as Wigan out-lasted the Wolves to book a place in the Semi-Finals. Wigan jumped out to a 22-0 lead inside 24 minutes before Warrington fought back to 22-16 at the half. The Wolves scored straight after the break to move within 2 points but the Warriors scored 4 more tries to ice the victory. The Wigan tries came from Harrison Hansen, Sam Tomkins, Andy Coley, Pat Richards (2), Josh Charnley (2) and Sean O'Loughlin. The Warrington tries came from Matt King (2), Richie Myler (2) and David Solomona (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Kear, PAL)
Semi-Final - Wigan Warriors (18) v (12) St.Helens Saints - Wigan advanced to their 1st Challenge Cup Final since 2004, as they knocked off the #3 team in the league and their big rivals. Wigan led 6-2 at the half and 18-2 with 20 minutes left before the Saints scored 2 quick tries to make for a tense finish but Wigan held on for the win. The Wigan tries came from George Carmont, Josh Charnley and Sam Tomkins. The St.Helens tries came from James Foster (2) who accounted for all of the Saints points (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Kear, PAL)
Semi-Final - Castleford Tigers (8) v (10) Leeds Rhinos - Leeds advanced to their 2nd consecutive Challenge Cup final but had to do it the hard way. An inspired Tigers team led 8-2 with 10 minutes left before Leeds scored a late try from Kallum Watkins that Kevin Sinfield converted to force extra-time. Leeds ended the game with a controversial penalty kick from Sinfield after a high tackle in the Tigers end of the field. The Castleford try came from Rangi Chase who also had a chance to win the game with the last kick of regulation but his drop-goal went wide (10, 2 Discs, BBC - French/Kear, PAL)
Final - Wigan Warriors (28) v (18) Leeds Rhinos - Wigan won their 1st Challenge Cup since 2002 in an exciting final at Wembley. Wigan ran out to a 16-0 lead in the 1st half before Leeds regrouped and scored 3 tries of their own to pull within 2 points in the 2nd half. After trading scores, Leeds found themseleves down 22-18 before Thomas Leuluai sealed the Wigan win with a late try. The Wigan tries came from Josh Charnley, Jeff Lima (2), Thomas Leuluai and Joel Tomkins with Pat Richards making 4 of 5 conversions. The Leeds tries came from Ryan Hall (2), Ben Jones-Bishop and Carl Ablett (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Kear, PAL)
2012
Round 4 - Widnes Vikings (38) @ (40) St.Helens Saints - In a shootout at Langtree Park, St.Helens advanced to the next round but Widnes made them fight all the way. The Saints held a 40-16 lead after 54 minutes but Widnes suddenly found some momentum and reeled off 3 unanswered tries to pull within 2 points with seconds left in the game. But a last-gasp attempt to get upfield after the kick-off ended when the ball went dead and the Saints claimed the win. There were 14 tries scored in total. The Saints tries came from Josh Jones (2), Paul Wellens (2), Chris Flannery, Lance Hohaia and Louis McCarthy-Scarsbrook. The Vikings tries came from Patrick Ah Van (2), Rhys Hansbury, Lloyd White (2), Kurt Haggerty and Hep Cahill (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Harris, PAL)
Semi-Final - Huddersfield Giants (6) v (33) Warrington Wolves - Warrington booked a place in their 3rd final in 4 years with a comprehensive win over a tough Giants team. The Wolves led 18-6 at the half and never looked in trouble the rest of the way, outscoring the Giants 5 tries to 1. The Wolves scorers were Garreth Carvell, Ryan Atkins, Joel Monaghan, Brett Hodgson and Stefan Ratchford. The lone Giants try came from Scott Moore. After the game, Huddersfield parted company with coach Nathan Brown (10, 2 Discs, BBC - French/Davies, PAL)
Final - Leeds Rhinos (18) v (35) Warrington Wolves - Warrington won the Challenge Cup for a third time in four years, beating Leeds with a strong 2nd half at Wembley. A tight 1st half ended 12-10 to the Wolves but Warrington took control of the game after the break by scoring 3 unanswered tries and then saw off a late Rhinos charge to take the win. The Wolves tries came from Joel Monaghan, Trent Waterhouse, Chris Riley, Tyrone McCarthy, Ryan Atkins and Brett Hodgson. The Leeds tries came from Ian Kirke and Kallum Watkins (2). The Lance Todd trophy went to Brett Hodgson, who also kicked 5 goals. The Leeds loss was their 3rd straight in the Final (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies, PAL)
2013
4th Round - St.Helens Saints (18) @ (26) Hull Kingston Rovers - Hull KR booked their place in the 5th round with a comeback win against 12-man St.Helens. Rovers dominated the 1st half and led 16-6 at the break, while the Saints struggled with turnovers and had Francis Melli sent off for a bad high tackle on Craig Hall. St.Helens re-grouped in the 2nd half and hit the front with 2 tries but Rovers killed the game off with 2 tries of their own to take the win. The Hull KR tries came from Craig Hall (2), Mickey Paea, Greg Eden and Liam Salter. The Saints tries came from Ade Gardner, Paul Wellens and Mark Percival and the Saints also featured Lance Hohaia (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies, PAL)
Semi-Final - Wigan Warriors (70) v (0) London Broncos - At the Leigh Sports Village, Wigan booked a place in their 30th cup final with a record-setting win against the Broncos. The Warriors scored 12 tries from 10 different players and set a record for the largest margin of victory ever in a Challenge Cup Semi-Final. The tries scorers were Darrell Goulding, Lee Mossop, Sam Tomkins, Blake Green, Pat Richards (2), Josh Charnley (2), Scott Taylor, Matty Smith, Liam Farrell and Iain Thornley with Richards also kicking 11 conversions to give him 30 total points, a Wigan semi-final record. London featured Jamie Soward (10, 2 Discs, BBC - French/Davies/Noble, PAL)
Semi-Final - Hull (16) v (12) Warrington Wolves - Hull shocked the holders Warrington with a big defensive display to book their place in the final at Wembley. Warrington started the better, scoring the 1st 2 tries, but Hull fought back to score 16 unanswered points to take control of the game. Despite late pressure from the Wolves, Hull held on to take a memorable win. The Hull tries came from Tom Lineham, Richard Whiting and Aaron Heremaia. The Warrington tries came from Joel Monaghan, Trent Waterhouse and Ben Currie (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Noble, PAL)
Final - Hull FC (0) v (16) Wigan Warriors - On a damp day at Wembley Stadium, Wigan claimed their 19th Challenge Cup Trophy with a hard-fought win against Hull FC. Both teams suffered from handling errors but Hull's came at inopportune moments and Wigan made them pay, converting 2 penalties from Pat Richards and scoring 2 tries, from Iain Thornley and Sam Tomkins. Wigan's Matty Smith was voted man-of-the-match to win the Lance Todd Trophy (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Noble, PAL)
2014
4th Round - St.Helens Saints (17) @ (16) Huddersfield Giants - Superleague leaders St.Helens won through to the 5th round with a controversial win against the Giants. Huddersfield seemed to have the game in hand as they led 16-8 with 15 minutes left in the 2nd half, but the game turned on the Giant's Brett Ferres being sent off for a tip tackle. St.Helens scored 8 unanswered points to tie. With the game in the final minutes, the Giants had 2 drop goal attempts charged down and had a 3rd controversially ruled to have missed when replays suggest it was good. The Saints took the ball and marched down-field to their only drop goal attempt which Luke Walsh converted to win the game in the final seconds. The Saints tries came from Adam Swift and Tommy Makinson (2). The Giants tries came from Shaun Lunt (2) and Joe Wardle (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies, PAL)
Quarter Final - Castleford Tigers (16) @ (4) Wigan - Castleford heaped more misery on Wigan with an historic win at the DW Stadium. The loss was Wigan's 1st home loss in the Challenge Cup for 28 years. Castleford had the better of the 1st half and led 6-0 at the half. Wigan scored 1st after the break but 2 unanswered tries from the Tigers sealed the win. The Castleford tries came from James Clare, Kirk Dixon and Lee Jewitt. The Wigan try came from Liam Farrell (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Noble, PAL)
Semi-Final - Leeds Rhinos (24) v (16) Warrington Wolves - Leeds booked a place in their 4th Challenge Cup Final in 5 years with a big win against the Wolves. Leeds started the better and led 14-0 at the break and, despite a Warrington fight-back that brought them within 8 points, held on to take the win. Man-of-the-match Jamie Peacock had a huge game for Leeds. The Leeds tries came from Ryan Hall (2), Joel Moon and Tom Briscoe with Kevin Sinfield kicking 4 conversions and a penalty. The Warrington tries came from Chris Bridge, Stefan Ratchford and Ben Westwood (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Noble, PAL)
Semi-Final - Widnes Vikings (6) v (28) Castleford Tigers - Castleford booked a place in their 1st Wembley Final for 22 years with a strong win against Widnes. The Tigers started fast and held a 14-0 lead at the break before adding another 14 points to seal the win. The Castleford tries came from Liam Finn, Daryl Clark, Kirk Dixon, Jamie Ellis and Jake Webster. The Widnes try came from Jack Owens (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Noble, PAL)
Final - Castleford Tigers (10) v (23) Leeds Rhinos - In the all-Yorkshire final, Leeds finally overcame 15 years of futility to win the cup. Leeds broke a run of 5 defeats in the Challenge Cup Final with a strong win at Wembley Stadium. The Rhinos started fast and held a 16-4 lead at the half. Despite a brief fight-back by the Tigers at the start of the 2nd half, Leeds held on to take the win. The Leeds tries came from Lance Todd Trophy winner Ryan Hall (2), Tom Briscoe and Danny McGuire with Kevin Sinfield kicking 3 conversions. The Castleford tries came from Daryl Clark and Oliver Holmes (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Noble, PAL)
2015
6th Round - Leigh Centurions (36) @ (30) Wakefield Trinity Wildcats - Championship side Leigh stunned Superleague side Wakefield with a huge 2nd half comeback. Wakefield started the better, capitalising on Leigh mistakes to post a 24-6 lead at the half. But Leigh re-grouped and out-scored the Wildcats 30-6 in the 2nd half and won the game with a try with 6 minutes left in the game. The Leigh tries came from man-of-the-match Ryan Brierley, Jonny Pownall, Bob Beswick, Tom Armstrong, Hopkins and Oliver Wilkes. The Wakefield tries came from Chris Riley, Joe Arundel (2), Nick Scruton and Jon Molloy (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Noble/Crabtree, PAL)
Quarter Final - Leigh Centurions (24) @ (34) Warrington Wolves - Leigh's fairy-tale run in the cup ended at the hands of Warrington after a back-and-forth game at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. Leigh played inspired Rugby in the 1st half to lead 14-12 at the break but Warrington turned the game around in the 2nd half with 16 unanswered points and never trailed again. The Warrington tries came from Ashton Sims, Ben Currie (2), Kevin Penny (2) and George King. The Leigh tries came from Greg Worthington, Ryan Brierley (2), Gregg McNally and Tom Armstrong (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Kear/Davies, PAL)
Quarter Final - Widnes Vikings (20) @ (36) St.Helens Saints - St.Helens booked a place in the Semi-Finals but Widnes made them work for it in a back-and-forth game at Langtree Park. The Saints has the better of the 1st half and led 18-12 at the break. But Widnes fought back at the start of the 2nd half and held a 2 point lead heading into the final 15 minutes. The Saints re-grouped and scored 3 unanswered tries to end the game and book their place in the Semi-Final. The St.Helens tries came from Adam Swift (a great 90 metre run), Mark Percival (2), Matty Dawson, Kyle Amor and Jordan Turner. The Widnes tries came from Joe Mellor, Danny Craven, Patrick Ah Van and Chris Dean (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Crabtree/Davies, PAL)
Semi-Final - Leeds Rhinos (24) v (14) St.Helens Saints - Challenge Cup holders Leeds booked a place in their 5th final in 6 years with a tight win over the Saints. Leeds started the game at a ferocious pace and held a 12-4 lead at the break. Saints tried to stage a comeback in the 2nd half but Leeds held firm and finished the game off with a late try. The Leeds tries came from Zak Hardaker, Joel Moon, Jamie Peacock and Kallum Watkins. The St.Helens tries came from Mark Percival (2) and Andre Savelio (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Kear, PAL)
Semi-Final - Warrington Wolves (18) v (26) Hull Kingston Rovers - In a big upset at Headingly, Hull KR booked a place in their 1st Challenge Cup Final for 29 years. Despite conceding a 2nd minute try, the Robins recovered to score 2 tries to take a 12-6 lead at the half. Hull KR then increased their lead to 20-6 before the Wolves fought back to 20-18 with 12 minutes left. But the Robins held on and secured the win with a late try to upset Warrington. The Hull KR tries came from Josh Mantellato, Ken Sio, Kevin Larroyer and Shaun Lunt. The Warrington tries came from Ryan Atkins, Richie Myler and Ben Currie (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Crabtree, PAL)
Final - Hull Kingston Rovers (0) v (50) Leeds Rhinos - On a record setting day at Wembley, Leeds dominated Hull KR to win their 13th Challenge Cup. The Robins were overly cautious in the 1st half and the Rhinos took advantage, taking a 16-0 lead in at the half. But in the 2nd half, with the rain falling, the Rhinos capitalised on the Robins mistakes to score 6 unanswered tries and they coasted home to the win. The records set were for largest margin of victory (50 points) and the most number of tries scored by 1 person (5, Leeds Tom Briscoe). Leeds other tries came from Brett Delaney, Danny McGuire, Brad Singleton and Rob Burrow, with Kevin Sinfield adding 14 points with the boot. Leeds also featured Jamie Peacock. Hull KR were led by Albert Kelly and Maurice Blair (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Kear, PAL)
2016
Semi-Final - Wigan Warriors (12) v (16) Hull - Hull booked a place in their 2nd Challenge Cup Final in 4 years with a comeback win in Doncaster. Both teams were very physical and hard-hitting and it was Wigan that ended the 1st half in front 6-2. Hull fought back in the 2nd half and when Wigan's Dom Manfredi dropped a high kick in his own in-goal area, Hull pounced for the go-ahead score that they defended to the end. The Hull tries came from Steve Michaels and Fetuli Talanoa with Marc Sneyd adding 2 penalties. The Wigan tries came from George Williams and Willie Isa (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Kear/Noble, PAL)
Semi-Final - Warrington Wolves (56) v (12) Wakefield Wildcats - Warrington ended Wakefield's chance to make the Final with a big win at the Leigh Sports Village. Wakefield scored on their 1st set of 6 but Warrington recovered to score 52 unanswered points to win the game. The Wolves led 24-6 at the half. The Warrington tries came from Jack Hughes, Daryl Clark, Rhys Evans, Kurt Gidley, Chris Sandow, Stefan Ratchford, Ben Currie, Toby King (2) and Ben Westwood with Kurt Gidley adding 7 goals. The Wakefield tries came from Craig Hall and Max Jowitt (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Kear/Wilkin, PAL)
Final - Hull (12) v (10) Warrington Wolves - On a sunny day at Wembley, Hull came back from a big 2nd half deficit to win their 1st Challenge Cup at Wembley. Warrington held a 10-0 lead early in the 2nd half, but Hull fought back to score 12 unanswered points including the game-winning try in the 73rd minute. The result wasn't decided until the final 90 seconds when Hull denied Warrington a certain try with a game-saving tackle from Danny Houghton and Hull clung on for the win. The Hull tries came from Mahe Fonua and Jamie Shaul with Lance Todd Trophy winner Marc Sneyd kicking both conversions. The Warrington tries came from Matty Russell and Ben Currie (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Kear/Davies, PAL)
2017
Semi-Final - Hull FC (43) v (24) Leeds Rhinos - In a shootout at the Keepmoat Stadium, Hull FC booked a return trip to Wembley to defend their title with a 7-try win over the Rhinos. Both teams were evenly matched in the 1st half with Hull FC holding a slim 18-12 lead at the break but the Black-and-Whites took control in the 2nd half and scored 3 tries in a 10 minute spell to take a match-winning lead they defended to the end. The Hull FC tries came from Albert Kelly, Carlos Tuimavave (2), Callum Green, Liam Watts, Jamie Shaul and Scott Taylor with man-of-the-match Marc Sneyd adding 15 points with the boot. The Leeds tries came from Ryan Hall (2), Kallum Watkins and Ashton Golding (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Kear/Noble, PAL)
Final - Hull FC (18) v (14) Wigan Warriors - In front of 65,000 people at Wembley, Hull FC beat Wigan to retain the Challenge Cup trophy. After conceding an early try, Hull scored twice to take a 12-10 lead in at the half. A try early in the 2nd half gave Hull an 18-10 advantage and they held on despite late pressure from Wigan to take the win. The difference in the teams was Hull scrum-half Marc Sneyd, who converted all the tries, kicked a 40-20 in the lead-up to a try and controlled the game throughout en-route to the Lance Todd trophy. His conversions provided the margin of victory as Wigan's kicker George Williams missed 2 conversions. The Hull FC tries came from Fetuli Talanoa and Mahe Fonua (2). The Wigan tries came from John Bateman, Oliver Gildart and Joe Burgess (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Kear/Davies, PAL)
2018
Round 6 - St.Helens Saints (36) @ (18) Castleford Tigers - The Saints Ben Barba inspired his team to a big win at Castleford, and booked his team's place in the Quarter Finals. Barba scored 3 tries and set up 2 others as the Saints withstood early Tigers pressure to take a 12-0 lead in at the half. Castleford tried to mount a comeback in the 2nd half, but Barba completed his hat-trick of tries to seal the win. The other Saints tries came from Regan Grace, Ryan Morgan and Danny Richardson. The Castleford tries came from Jake Trueman and Greg Minikin (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Noble, PAL)
Round 6 - Toronto Wolfpack (10) @ (66) Warrington Wolves - Toronto made their Challenge Cup TV debut at Warrington but, in a very physical game, it was the hosts that came out on top with a 2nd half points explosion. Toronto started impressively and took an early 8-0 lead. Warrington fought back with 2 tries of their own before the game turned decisively in their favour when Toronto's Andrew Dixon was sent off for throwing a punch. Warrington responded with 54 unanswered points to dominate the visitors and book their place in the Quarter Finals. The Warrington tries came from Mike Cooper, Josh Charnley (2), Harvey Livett, Ben Murdoch-Masila (2), Jack Hughes, Ben Westwood, Tom Lineham (3) and Tyrone Roberts. The Toronto tries came from Adam Higson and Liam Kay (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Kear, PAL)
Quarter Final - Wigan Warriors (0) @ (23) Warrington Wolves - Warrington upset the 2017 finalists with a shock blanking at the Jones-Halliwell Stadium. Both teams Defenses were on top in the game, but Warrington took their chances when they came, taking a 16-0 lead in at the half and cruising home in the 2nd half when Wigan went down to 12 men after a sin-binning. The Warrington tries came from Kevin Brown, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Josh Charnley and Declan Patton. Tyrone Roberts also added a drop-goal (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Kear/Davies, PAL)
Semi-Final - St.Helens Saints (16) v (35) Catalans Dragons - At the University of Bolton Stadium, French side Catalans Dragons pulled off a stunning win over runaway Super League leaders St Helens to reach the Challenge Cup final for only the second time in their history. All the damage was done in an explosive 1st half as the Dragons started fast and scored 4 tries to go in at the break with a 27-0 lead. The Saints attempted a fight-back in the 2nd half but the gap was too big to overcome and the Dragons booked their place at Wembley. The Catalans tries came from Lewis Tierney, Ben Garcia (2), Tony Gigot and Sam Moa. The St.Helens tries came from Mark Percival (2) and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Kear, PAL)
Semi-Final - Warrington Wolves (48) v (12) Leeds Rhinos - At the University of Bolton Stadium, Warrington dominated a suffering Leeds team to book their place in the Final. Leeds opened the scoring but Warrington responded with 26 unanswered points to take a big lead in at the break. Leeds scored first after the break but Warrington dominated the rest of the way, scoring 4 tries to clinch victory. The Warrington tries came from Tom Lineham (2), Josh Charnley (2), Kevin Brown, Ben Murdoch-Masila, Toby King and Bryson Goodwin. The Leeds tries came from Ryan Hall and Adam Cuthbertson. The Rhinos were also coached by interim Head Coach Kevin Sinfield (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Kear, PAL)
Final - Catalans Dragons (20) v (14) Warrington Wolves - On an historic day at Wembley, Catalans became the first non-English team to win the Challenge Cup in its 122 year history with a tight win against the Wolves. The Dragons started fast, just as they did in the Semi-Final, and were ahead 8-0 after 10 minutes and 14-6 ahead at the break. Warrington fought back in the 2nd half to within 2 points, but Catalans eased the pressure again with another try then kept the Wolves at arms length the rest of the way for the historic victory. The Catalans tries came from Lewis Tierney, Ben Garcia and Brayden Wiliame. The Warrington tries came from Ben Murdoch-Masila and George King (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Kear, PAL)
2019
Round 6 - Leeds Rhinos (22) @ (24) Bradford Bulls - In a sensational upset at a rocking Odsal Stadium, Championship side Bradford shocked Super League Leeds Rhinos to reach the Quarter Finals of the Challenge Cup. It was the first match-up between the 2 big rivals since 2014 and Bradford came to play, using hard-hitting and opportunistic attacking play to take a 22-14 lead in at the half. Leeds played better in the 2nd half but, despite a late flurry of attacking intent, couldn't find the winning try. The Bradford tries came from Dalton Grant, Jake Webster, Sam Hallas and Mikey Wood. The Leeds tries came from Tuimoala Lolohea, Callum McLelland, Harry Newman and Tom Briscoe (10, 1st half copied from the Internet, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Noble/Davies, PAL)
Round 6 - Wigan Warriors (24) @ (26) Warrington Wolves - At a sunny Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington held off a late Wigan charge to book their place in the Quarter Finals. A back-and-forth 1st half ended with Warrington holding an 18-12 lead. The Wire then pushed on early in the 2nd half and held a 24-14 lead after 51 minutes before Wigan got their act together and scored 10 points of their own to level the scores. But Warrington forged ahead again with a penalty and held on in the final 10 minutes to see out the game. The Warrington tries came from Bryson Goodwin, Jack Hughes, Daryl Clark and Ryan Atkins with Stefan Ratchford kicking 10 points. The Wigan tries came from Sam Powell, Tommy Leuluai, Dan Sarginson and Zak Hardaker (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Kear, PAL)
Semi-Final - Warrington Wolves (22) v (14) Hull FC - At a rain-soaked University of Bolton Stadium, Warrington booked their place in the Challenge Cup final for the 2nd season in a row and their 3rd in 4 years, holding off a tough Hull team. Warrington went in at the break with a 10-8 lead but Hull fought back to only trail 16-14 with 2 minutes left and with the ball. Hull dropped a pass in the shadow of their posts, though, and Warrington pounced to score the game-clinching try and send their fans delirious. The Warrington tries came from Bryson Goodwin, Ben Currie, Toby King and Joe Philbin. The Hull tries came from Bureta Faraimo and Scott Taylor with Marc Sneyd kicking 3 goals (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Noble, PAL)
Final - Warrington Wolves (18) v (4) St.Helens Saints - On a baking hot day at Wembley, Warrington upset the form book to beat the runaway Super League leaders St Helens and win their 1st Challenge Cup trophy since 2012 and the 9th in their history. Warrington were missing their star playmaker Blake Austin, but the team stepped up Defensively to cover for him and kept the Saints from finding a foothold into the game. Warrington led 12-0 at the break after dominating the opening half, and despite a brief fight-back at the start of the 2nd half by the Saints, the Wolves scored the game-clinching try with 7 minutes to play to seal the win. The Warrington tries came from Joe Philbin, Ben Murdoch-Masila and Daryl Clark. The St.Helens try came from Theo Fages (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Noble, PAL)
2019/20
Quarter Final - Warrington Wolves (20) v (18) St.Helens Saints - In a repeat of the 2018/19 Final, Warrington held off a 2nd half comeback by the Saints to book their place in the Semi-Finals. The Saints were down 16-8 at the half but 2 tries pulled them to within 2 points of a tie with 8 minutes to play. The Saints missed the conversion though, and Warrington defended the lead to the end for the big win. The Warrington tries came from Anthony Gelling, Josh Charnley (2) and Matty Ashton. The St.Helens tries came from Jonny Lomax, Regan Grace and Kevin Naiqama (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/Davies/Noble, PAL)
Quarter Final - Hull FC (4) v (36) Wigan Warriors - Wigan booked their place in the Semi-Finals with a dominating win against Hull at the AJ Bell Stadium. Wigan dominated the 1st half and went in at the break with a 26-0 lead, then scored the first 2 tries of the 2nd half to close out the game. The Wigan tries came from Sam Powell, Liam Farrell (2), Bevan French (2), Joe Burgess and Oliver Gildart with Zak Hardaker kicking 4 conversions. The lone Hull try came from Mahe Fonua (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Newsum/Davies/Kear, PAL)
Semi-Final - Leeds Rhinos (26) v (12) Wigan Warriors - Leeds booked a place in their first Challenge Cup Final in 5 years with a hard-fought win over Wigan in the rain at the Totally Wicked Stadium in St.Helens. The Rhinos dominated the 1st half, taking a 20-0 lead in at the break. Leeds were so in control they didn't allow Wigan a single play inside the Leeds 20. Leeds stretched their lead to 26-0 before 2 late Wigan tries made the score more respectable. The Leeds tries came from Rhyse Martin, Ash Handley (2) and Tom Briscoe. The Wigan tries came from Harry Smith and Zak Hardaker (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/J.Davies/Kear, PAL)
Semi-Final - Salford Red Devils (24) v (22) Warrington Wolves - Salford stunned Warrington at a rain-soaked Totally Wicked Stadium in St.Helens and booked a place in their first Challenge Cup Final since 1969. The Wolves dominated the game but just couldn't build a big enough lead to pull away. They led 14-8 at the half, and 22-12 after 65 minutes, but 2 unanswered tries gave Salford the lead with 5 minutes to play and they held on for the win. The Salford tries came from Kallum Watkins, Krisnan Inu, James Greenwood and Joey Lussick. Inu also added 4 conversions including the game-winning kick. The Warrington tries came from Toby King, Blake Austin and Ben Murdoch-Masila (9, 2 Discs, BBC - Newsum/J.Davies/Robinson, PAL)
Final - Leeds Rhinos (17) v (16) Salford Red Devils - In a hard-fought Final at an empty Wembley Stadium due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, Leeds won their 14th Challenge Cup and their first since 2015. Leeds had the better of the 1st half and went into half-time with a 12-6 lead. Salford shocked the Rhinos with 2 unanswered tries after the break to go ahead 16-12, but Leeds again fought back with a try to tie the game, then won the Cup with a last minute drop-goal from Luke Gale, ending Salford's chance of victory. The Leeds tries came from Ash Handley (2) and Tom Briscoe. Full-back Richie Myler won the Lance Todd Trophy. The Salford tries came from Rhys Williams, Pauli Pauli and James Greenwood, with Krisnan Inu kicking 2 conversions. Disc 2 also includes the 30 minute documentary "Rob Burrow : My Year with MND" (10, 2 Discs, BBC - Woods/J.Davies/Kear, PAL)