Matt Dufty's two tries helped Warrington Wolves give head coach Sam Burgess a Wembley final appearance in his first season in charge as they beat Huddersfield Giants; Leeds Rhinos will face St Helens in the women's final again after seeing off Wigan Warriors in their semi-final
Sunday 19 May 2024 18:25, UK
We round up all of the action from Sunday's Betfred Challenge Cup men's and women's semi-finals in St Helens, where Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhinos booked their places at Wembley next month...
Warrington swept into the Betfred Challenge Cup final for the first time since 2019 after an emphatic 46-10 win over Huddersfield Giants at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
Matt Dufty capped a superb individual display with two of the Wolves' eight tries as Wire sealed a Wembley date with Wigan Warriors early next month to mark a significant milestone for head coach Sam Burgess in his first season in charge.
Burgess' own bid to feature in the game's knockout showpiece as a player came up short in Bradford Bulls' semi-final defeat by St Helens in 2007.
The Giants never recovered from a shambolic opening spell in which they conceded three tries in 20 minutes, and any faint hopes they had of wrestling they way back into the contest quickly unravelled in an error-strewn start to the second half.
In contrast Warrington were ruthless from the word go, Matty Ashton galloping down the left flank with five minutes on the clock before a crisp exchange of passes left scrum-half Josh Drinkwater with the simplest of opportunities to open the scoring.
Two minutes later Dufty sent Ashton clear to extend Warrington's lead, and the Giants' dismal start was summed up on the halfway point of the first period when Danny Walker was allowed to dip over over for the simplest of tries from dummy-half.
Three conversions from Thewlis - who would rack up an impressive 14 points with the boot - stretched Warrington's lead to a seemingly unbreachable 18 points, although Ian Watson's side did summon a response, Jake Connor sending Adam Swift over in the corner and Oliver Wilson knocking on as his side failed to make good on a spell of territorial advantage.
But the key moment came six minutes before the interval when Dufty produced a try-saving tackle to deny Swift his second, and moments later Williams spurted clear over the halfway line, cutting inside the feeble challenge of Adam Clune to snatch his side's fourth.
Any flicker of hope the Giants may have held at the start of the second half was quickly extinguished as Dufty ran in two tries in quick succession, the first coming after the Giants had shaped up well after the restart and were delving deep into Wolves territory when Clune's kick was charged down by Ben Currie in the 47th minute.
Currie barged over the halfway line to begin the set that ended in Williams sending Dufty jinking all too easily over the line, and eight minutes later it was Currie's pass that handed the Australian full-back his chance for a simple second.
Kevin Naiqama scampered over for a consolation try for Huddersfield before Connor was sin-binned for a needless infraction at the play-the-ball which gifted Thewlis the chance to kick Warrington further ahead.
The pain was not over for Huddersfield as former Wigan Warriors Sam Powell crossed the line then Rodrick Tai wrapped up the scoring by stretching over the line in front of the massed ranks of delighted Warrington fans behind the posts.
Leeds set up a repeat of last year's Betfred Women's Challenge Cup final against St Helens after overcoming Wigan at the Totally Wicked Stadium.
Ruby Enright scored a try in each half to help secure a 34-20 win for the Rhinos, who were beaten 22-8 by Saints at Wembley last year.
Vicky Molyneux and Grace Banks scored first-half tries for Denis Betts' side, who reached the interval on level terms before Leeds stepped up their game.
Caitlin Beevers, Zoe Hornby, Hanna Butcher, Lucy Murray and Keara Bennett also crossed for Leeds while Enright added three goals to her tally.
Warrington Wolves return to Betfred Super League action on Saturday, May 25 when they travel to fellow high-flyers Catalans Dragons (5.30pm, Sky Sports Action). Huddersfield Giants play the night before when they host Leigh Leopards (8pm, Sky Sports Arena).
Leeds Rhinos face St Helens in a Wembley dress rehearsal on Friday, May 24 in a Betfred Women's Super League match which is live on Sky Sports Action ahead of the two men's teams facing off (5.30pm).
This year's Challenge Cup finals take place at Wembley on Saturday, June 8. The women's final kicks off at 11.45am followed by the men's final at 3pm.
Watch every match of the 2024 Betfred Super League season, including Magic Weekend, the play-offs, and men's, women's, and wheelchair Grand Finals, live on Sky Sports. Also stream with NOW.
