Saturday afternoon will see the first ever Wembley meeting in a Challenge Cup final between the Leigh Leopards and Hull Kingston Rovers with one of the clubs’ names to be engraved onto the famous trophy for the first time in at least forty-three years.
Hull KR were in a Cup Final as recently as 2015 when they lost heavily to the Leeds Rhinos and their only win in seven finals so far came in the 1980 final when they beat their nearest and dearest, Hull FC, by 10-5 in front of a crowd of 95,000 people.
Leigh have a much briefer, but more successful cup final pedigree having won on both of their previous visits to the former twin towers. They last won the competition in 1971 when they defeated Leeds by 24-7, and they also win the trophy in 1921 when they beat Halifax by 13-0, but it has been a long time between drinks.
Leigh owner Derek Beaumont was just two months old when his side were last triumphant at Wembley, and he has held a lifelong dream to lead them out onto the hallowed turf meaning that his Saturday afternoon will be filled with emotion, and no sparsity of expectation that his form side will be able to do the business and further silence his many critics.
Leigh have won five out of their last six outings, their only loss being the heavy defeat at the hands of near neighbours Wigan Warriors which came the week after they secured their Wembley place with the defeat of the mighty St Helens. The last time they played Hull KR they won by 34-4 and they also won the early season encounter by a much closer 30-25 margin.
Hull KR, on the other hand, have struggled of late despite sweeping aside the challenge of the Wigan Warriors in their cup semi-final. They will not want to be reminded of their poor showing in Wembley finals, their two losses in 2023 to their opponents, or the way that Wigan beat them 64-6 when the two sides met last weekend.
Leigh are the bookies favourites to pick up the trophy come five o’clock on Saturday afternoon, but they have been cautious with the handicapping having given the Robins just a four-point start on the handicap coupon.
Both sets of fans will descend on the capital in great numbers for a weekend of celebration and most neutrals will find it refreshing that two ‘outsiders’ will take part in a final which should deliver on high on the excitement and emotion scales.
Whoever wins it should be a great contest, we hope that it will go down to the final plays and be in the balance for eighty fantastic minutes.
