Sat 28th May: Challenge Cup Final: Huddersfield Giants v Wigan Warriors KO 15:00 (BBC One)

[Futtocks]

2 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

I think I heard them say 51,000 on the radio?

Someone will be along soon with an assertion that knocks at least one zero off that number.

But they will be boggle-eyed loonies, so ignore them.

Edited May 28, 2022 by Futtocks

[Chronicler of Chiswick]

Great game, good advert for RL. Don't know what it was like to be there, but for me, on TV the ground came over better than Wembley - even when it's full for soccer internationals.

[Fevrover]

2 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Someone will be along soon with an assertion that knocks at least one zero off that number.

But they will be boggle-eyed loonies, so ignore them.

It was a good turnout and there were plenty of fans from other clubs there.

[Futtocks]

4 minutes ago, Fevrover said:

It was a good turnout and there were plenty of fans from other clubs there.

It looked good, and it sounded good. And we got two decent matches, as well.

[WakefieldCityLoyal]

Good game 2 well coached teams, well done Wigan.

[Rowan]

Let's be honest - anybody who did not enjoy that then they don't really like the sport. Same goes for the 1895 Cup Final. It would be interesting to know what our great saviours-to-be IMG thought about it.

[Fevrover]

9 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

It looked good, and it sounded good. And we got two decent matches, as well.

Yeah but two wrong results lol  

[Dunbar]

2 minutes ago, Rowan said:

Let's be honest - anybody who did not enjoy that then they don't really like the sport. Same goes for the 1895 Cup Final. It would be interesting to know what our great saviours-to-be IMG thought about it.

If they have anything about them, they will be rubbing their hands.

Great, skillful athletes playing a super tough sport in a gladiatorial spirit.

Passionate fans mingling on the terraces.

A game full of drama that went to the final minute.

If they can't make something of that then they don't deserve the sport.

[graveyard johnny]

best team lost - wigan should have been down to 12- ref didnt act simply cos it was the cc final 

[JohnM]

47 minutes ago, Just Browny said:

Why do Wigan fans only get any pleasure from ranting about a load of people who don't exist?

Haven't you just won the cup?

But you DO exist.....unless.....

[Dunbar]

4 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

best team lost - wigan should have been down to 12- ref didnt act simply cos it was the cc final 

Whatever the specifics of the incident, ref's can't win in this situation.

Send a player off the pitch and have people say he ruined the contest.

Keep the player on and have people say he didn't have the bottle.

[JonM]

Huddersfield looked out on their feet for the last ten or so minutes, Wigan always looked likely to score. Maybe front loaded the energy a bit too much.

Really hope the RFL can come to some arrangement to play there again.

[JohnM]

6 minutes ago, graveyard johnny said:

best team lost - wigan should have been down to 12- ref didnt act simply cos it was the cc final 

Is that a fact? Did he tell you that?

[StandOffHalf]

An interesting - if far from great - final, with a cracking winning try in the dying minutes!

 

Smithies certainly should have been sent for ten for his head-high shot. I feel a bit sorry for Hudds who shut up shop after hitting the front with Hill off injured as well. Young Russell was good for them but you could see how petrified they were of Wigan's speedsters in how they ran out their sets rather than kicking. Hudds were the better team for 60-65 minutes but Wigan nipped in at the end.

 

Not a classic, but a contest that went down to the wire. Spoiled a bit I thought by the faster players being hemmed in and constrained on a slippery, dangerous drop-in soccer pitch.

 

I didn't hear who was the MAN OF THE MATCH. Four who stood out for me: Russell and McQueen on the losing side; Bateman and Smith on the Wigan team.

 

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[Fevrover]

43 minutes ago, Desert Skipper said:

Sounds like most who were there like the venue. Although the very word Wembley still has a buzz for me.

What was the attendance?

 

Really nice Stadium but it's not Wembley and dosnt have the same surroundings and is quite run down. Got to be at Wembley next year.

[DavidM]

Hudds should be thinking they can get to the Grand Final . They can gain confidence from this and use it to push on 

[andyscoot]

Just now, StandOffHalf said:

 

I didn't hear who was the MAN OF THE MATCH. Four who stood out for me: Russell and McQueen on the losing side; Bateman and Smith on the Wigan team.

 

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McQueen took it.

Good stadium but surrounds a bit odd for such a place. Trains back to Liverpool St a mile long.

[Walney]

1 hour ago, Futtocks said:

Lolo missed three conversions, while Harry Smith missed two. That's two points. Not that much between the two and definitely not enough for a "comfortable" win.

Calmed down a bit now. Am heartbroken for Huddersfield to loose it in the last couple of mins. I so wanted them to win and be a new name on the cup. I imagine Tui Lolohea is punishing himself enough right now, thinking about those kicks.

[Niels]

5 minutes ago, StandOffHalf said:

An interesting - if far from great - final, with a cracking winning try in the dying minutes!

 

Smithies certainly should have been sent for ten for his head-high shot. I feel a bit sorry for Hudds who shut up shop after hitting the front with Hill off injured as well. Young Russell was good for them but you could see how petrified they were of Wigan's speedsters in how they ran out their sets rather than kicking. Hudds were the better team for 60-65 minutes but Wigan nipped in at the end.

 

Not a classic, but a contest that went down to the wire. Spoiled a bit I thought by the faster players being hemmed in and constrained on a slippery, dangerous drop-in soccer pitch.

 

I didn't hear who was the MAN OF THE MATCH. Four who stood out for me: Russell and McQueen on the losing side; Bateman and Smith on the Wigan team.

 

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I think this is an excellent assessment. Very perceptive.

A lot of posters mentioned the style of Huddersfield after the semi final win but I didn't see anything in it. However today in the final it was more obvious for me. Maybe due to Fages absence.

For this reason I felt Wigan deserved to win as they showed more ambition. 

Edited May 28, 2022 by Niels

[gingerjon]

5 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Whatever the specifics of the incident, ref's can't win in this situation.

Send a player off the pitch and have people say he ruined the contest.

Keep the player on and have people say he didn't have the bottle.

The commentators said there hasn't been a sinbinning in the Challenge Cup final since 2001.

[Old Frightful]

Perhaps it was fitting that just eleven days after Maurice Lindsay passed, his team should lift the Challenge Cup. I would suggest though that, on the day, Huddersfield were the better side. When they held the 14-12 lead, and with time running out, I said to others in the pub, I don't like this because there's always a chance of Wigan getting a late score which would leave no chance of Hudds coming back, and so it happened.

Had James Child made the correct decision in sending Smithies to the bin for his first uppercut then things might have been different, he didn't and so Smithies carried on where he left off.

Really felt sorry for Ken Davy, would have been nice for him to see his team lift the Cup for the first time in yonks but they just fell a bit short.

Congrats to all the Wigan lot on here, commiserations to the Hudds lot, both teams participated in a very enjoyable Cup Final.

 

[StandOffHalf]

6 minutes ago, andyscoot said:

McQueen took it.

Good stadium but surrounds a bit odd for such a place. Trains back to Liverpool St a mile long.

No complaints with that. He was the best forward on the field IMO and didn't deserve to be on the losing team.

[koli]

Spurs over Wembley anytime for me.

Best stadium I’ve been to and generated a great atmosphere.

They close the main road in front of the stadium a couple of hours before kick off and that allows a good outside ground atmosphere to build despite the general rundown nature of the area.

Really enjoyed the day as a neutral today.

 

[glossop saint]

Well done Wigan. Really enjoyed watching the game. Maybe not the highest standard of play but tense and enjoyable. Really feel for Huddersfield. They gave their all and came so close.

Also I loved the interview with Matty Peets at the end. Seems a thoroughly likeable bloke and a very good coach. Early days but given his style then I would like to see him managing England at some point in the future. 

[DimmestStar]

20 minutes ago, Old Frightful said:

Perhaps it was fitting that just eleven days after Maurice Lindsay passed, his team should lift the Challenge Cup. I would suggest though that, on the day, Huddersfield were the better side. When they held the 14-12 lead, and with time running out, I said to others in the pub, I don't like this because there's always a chance of Wigan getting a late score which would leave no chance of Hudds coming back, and so it happened.

Had James Child made the correct decision in sending Smithies to the bin for his first uppercut then things might have been different, he didn't and so Smithies carried on where he left off.

Really felt sorry for Ken Davy, would have been nice for him to see his team lift the Cup for the first time in yonks but they just fell a bit short.

Congrats to all the Wigan lot on here, commiserations to the Hudds lot, both teams participated in a very enjoyable Cup Final.

 

Agree there were 3 occasions when Smithies might have been given a yellow card and certainly after the accumulative effect of all of them.

Disagree about Maurice Lindsay who if he had is way there would be no Hull FC or Hull KR. Maybe a red and black Humber seafarer's.XIII.  He loved the idea of mergers provided none of them involved Wigan.

Ken Davy is hard core Tory who keeps Huddersfield afloat with his millions. Without him they would be at least one division lower maybe two.