PLACING a sporting event in its historical context immediately after it has happened is generally a fool’s game.
But it doesn’t seem too outlandish to suggest that this final will be looked back upon in years to come as the end of one era and the start of another.
That isn’t necessarily as simple as St Helens’ era of dominance – in the Challenge Cup at least – coming to an end, significant as that is in its own right after a remarkable four straight triumphs since 2021.
Nor is it necessarily certain to be the start of an era of Wigan dominance, though that looks a fairly safe short-term bet having already this year not just beaten but annihilated every member of what, only months ago, we called the ‘big three’.
But in the bigger picture, this brilliant Warriors team represents a leap forward for English women’s rugby league.
At its heart is 18-year-old Isabel Rowe, as much a superstar in the making as any player of that age can be. On this stage she demonstrated that she is a fine kicker, a fine passer and a fine runner – in other words, the complete halfback package.
Rowe’s well-timed, double-pump pass for Megan Williams’ opening try was intelligent, but even better was the fearlessness with which she took on the Saints line at the start of the second half and, spotting the slightest hint of weakness as the defenders failed to slide as one, burst through to score.
Alongside Rowe was Jenna Foubister, who showed her own ball skills to set up the Molly Jones break for try number two by Mary Coleman.
That’s two 18-year-old halfbacks leading a team to glory at Wembley – crazy in many ways, but also just typical of this Wigan side and what it represents.
Fullback Grace Banks, the official player of the match, was both a livewire in attack – making the break that led to Rowe’s try, then racing away after picking up a loose ball in the closing stages for her own deserved score – and a rock in defence.
She’s just 19, as is Eva Hunter, a back-rower so powerful she simply ran over Zoe Harris for her second-half score.
That’s four teenagers, plus another two 20-year-olds in centre Jones and her left-edge winger Ellise Derbyshire, in the starting line-up. Five are club academy products, the exception being Leigh’s Derbyshire.
As coach Denis Betts told me in the build-up to this final: “If you can’t find talented rugby players in the Wigan area – men or women – you’re doing something wrong.”
This is the telling point. For the first time, we are watching a crop of women who have played from a young age, had visible role models, benefitted from excellent coaches and facilities, and gone through a structured pathway to the top level.
The end result is athletes who are fitter, faster, stronger and smarter – often visibly so at Wembley, as St Helens were pushed and stretched beyond their limits.
And while such progress isn’t just limited to Wigan, their success is a product of going furthest and fastest to develop new stars.
Make no mistake, the game here is as far behind the sport’s top clubs and players as Australia’s savage battering of England in Las Vegas at the beginning of the year suggested.
But while the NRLW is a good many levels ahead – and still improving at a rapid rate – the English competition is making strides forward to.
For those who might not be inspired by the prospect of more Wigan superiority in rugby league, that is at least a consoling thought.