From full-back to front row, the battles that will decide Challenge Cup final
The return of captain George Williams has given a major boost to Wire's chances but Rovers, streaking away at the top of Super League, have the edge in plenty of other departments.
Here the PA news agency take a closer look at the key areas that could determine the destiny of this year's trophy:
Full-back: Matt Dufty v Jack Broadbent
Matt Dufty, left, and Jack Broadbent have key roles to play (Jess Hornby/Richard Sellers/PA)
Having made his name as a flashy and thrusting full-back, Australian Dufty has added another dimension to his game this season, holding together a Warrington spine decimated by injuries to the likes of Williams, Marc Sneyd and Danny Walker.
Meanwhile Rovers will have no qualms about dropping Broadbent into the role temporarily vacated by the cup-tied Arthur Mourgue. Broadbent has excelled when called upon by head coach Willie Peters and scored two tries and delivered a man of the match-winning display in their crushing semi-final win over Catalans.
Half-back: George Williams v Mikey Lewis
George Williams drives Warrington forward while Mikey Lewis is the reigning Man of Steel (Mike Egerton/Richard Sellers/PA)
All attention will be on the Warrington captain and star scrum-half, who will make his comeback less than eight weeks after undergoing surgery on an injured ankle. Williams' match-fitness could be key to his side's hopes of lifting the Cup.
Lewis, the reigning Super League Man of Steel, is equally essential to Rovers' prospects. His tenacity and accuracy with the boot has been integral to his side's surge to the top of Super League, and there few for whom bringing an end to Rovers' 40-year trophy hoodoo would mean more.
Hooker: Sam Powell v Jez Litten
Sam Powell and Jez Litten can add a Challenge Cup win to their accolades (Richard Sellers/PA)
Despite a trophy-laden career with Wigan, Powell has never been on the field for a Challenge Cup win. But the 32-year-old will get another chance in place of the injured Danny Walker, and Wire hope his previous experience of Wembley will play a crucial factor.
Having played second fiddle for much of last season to Matt Parcell, Litten has emerged as one of the success stories of Rovers' continued rise this term, his relentless and pinpoint attacking threat making sure his side maintain momentum through the sticky moments that have come their way.
Front row: Paul Vaughan v Dean Hadley
Paul Vaughan, left, and Dean Hadley bring the muscle up front (Martin Rickett/Mike Egerton/PA)
Irresistible forces and immovable objects abound in both finalists' respective front rows and are encapsulated by Vaughan and Hadley. The 6ft 4in Vaughan has brought relentless power and passion to a Wire side struggling with so many injury setbacks this season.
The value of the equally uncompromising Hadley was underlined by being the only Rovers regular to be rested for last week's Super League win over St Helens. With neither player prepared to give an inch, Vaughan and Hadley will provide the base for their respective sides' cup-winning chances.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Spectator
5 hours ago
- Spectator
The titans who shaped Test cricket
Cricket histories are a dangerous genre both for writers and readers. They can be incredibly boring, the dullest of all probably being John Major's weighty tome, which said everything you knew it would say as drearily as you feared. So Tim Wigmore, a young shaver who writes on cricket for the Daily Telegraph, has entered hazardous territory. Speaking as a proud cricket badger, who even has a book by Merv Hughes on his shelf (Dear Merv, 2001), I will admit that I have read rather too many cricket histories, and I swore that it would be a cold day in hell (or possibly at the county ground in Derby) before I would willingly start another. But Wigmore has written a splendid, comprehensive book full of good stories and droll asides. It dips a little in the middle when Shoaib Mohammad starts batting, and keeps on batting, but what book of 578 pages does not? (Shoaib, who retired in 1995, is still batting in his dreams and my nightmares, and has just played an immaculate forward defensive down to silly mid-off.) In fact Test Cricket is as sparkling and entertaining as any book this long has a right to be. Wigmore has taken as his subject the pinnacle of the game, possibly the pinnacle of any game in the world, the Test match – played over (once) three and (now) five days between no more than a dozen nations (or collections of nations) whose first-class structures justify their hallowed status. So there are no Test matches between Brazil and Argentina – nor are there likely to be until there are first-class stadiums in both countries where regional teams play two-innings matches in whites, with lunch at 1 p.m. and tea at 3.40 p.m. Pork pies would need to be sold locally and everyone would run indoors at the merest sniff of rain or bad light. No, this book starts off with the old rivalry between England and Australia in the 1870s; adds South Africa a quarter of a century later; and then the West Indies and New Zealand on the same day in the 1930s. England fielded two separate XIs against these two teams for their first Tests – an experiment they have never been strong enough to repeat. (Australia often put out two teams in one-day internationals in the 1980s and 1990s, both of which would then beat England, which wasn't that hard at the time.) Wigmore supplies a clean and focused narrative structure. 'Within the space constraints,' he writes, 'I have been led by a sense of Test cricket's overarching story, paying particular attention to players who helped shape the game.' This means a lot of pages are devoted to people such as Abdul Kardar and Tiger Pataudi, while 'titans in less successful or declining sides', like Graham Gooch and Shivarine Chanderpaul, get far fewer. I have no trouble with any of this, although the lack of mention of my own favourite cricketer, Derek Randall, who scored an epic 174 in the centenary Test match in 1977, is obviously shameful. Wigmore has an eye for the telling detail. In a passage on the Australian batsman Victor Trumper, inspired by the photograph of him leaping out of his crease to drill a half-volley back over the bowler's head, we hear that in 1902 Trumper became the first batsman to score a century before lunch on the first morning of a Test match. This was something only five batsmen from any country have done since. I also didn't know that Trumper was the first man to popularise wearing the same national cap at every Test. 'The lore of the baggy green cap, then, is also the lore of Trumper.' Between 1895 and 1904, Kumar Shri Ranjitsinhji scored 21,576 first-class runs at an average of 60.94. Then he became the Maharajah Jam Sahib of Nawanagar and had to stop batting for Sussex and England. In 1929, Ranji's nephew Duleepsinhji took part in one Test against South Africa, the only occasion in that country's first 172 Tests, until their readmittance to Test cricket in 1992, that they played against someone who didn't have white skin. South Africa, and their supporters in the MCC, don't come out too well from this book. When an Australian Services XI played the first of five matches against an England XI at Lord's in 1945 tickets cost a flat one shilling (five new pence) anywhere in the ground. That's as opposed to the £160 a friend of mine paid recently for one of this summer's Tests. At less than a fifth of the cost, this book represents a serious bargain. It's not quite as good as seeing Joe Root score 100 in the flesh, but it's not far off.
Press and Journal
6 hours ago
- Press and Journal
Aberdeen defender Jack Milne could follow £4.75million star's Pittodrie career path, says legend Brian Irvine
Signing Jack Milne on a long-term contract is a masterstroke by Aberdeen as the defender's career rise could mirror Scott McKenna's, says legend Brian Irvine. Aberdeen boss Jimmy Thelin and the Pittodrie hierarchy recently tied centre-back Milne on an extended deal in April until summer 2029. A month-after committing his long term future to the club Milne played a key role in the Scottish Cup final triumph – in only his third start of the season. The 22-year-old delivered a stellar performance at Hampden as the Dons lifted the Scottish Cup for the first time since 1990. Irvine netted the winning penalty in the 1990 cup win and was at the national stadium to watch Milne shine at the heart of a five-man defence. He reckons youth academy graduate Milne's performance proves he has the potential to emulate the Pittodrie career path of Scotland international McKenna. McKenna emerged through the Aberdeen youth system to become a first team star before securing a £3million move to then-English Championship Nottingham Forest in 2020. The figure Aberdeen banked for McKenna rose to £4.75m due to add-ons being achieved when he helped Forest earn promotion to the Premier League in 2022. Irvine said: 'Signing Jack Milne on a long-term contract until 2029 is a great move by Aberdeen. 'He delivered a fantastic performance in the Scottish Cup final that was extremely mature for a young player. 'Milne can take real confidence from how he played at Hampden and will benefit from that going forward. 'It could ultimately be another Scott McKenna situation where Milne gets a big move from Aberdeen in the future. 'McKenna was superb for Aberdeen for a number of seasons then went on to get the big transfer to England. 'At club and international level McKenna has had a fantastic career since coming through at Aberdeen. 'Milne could potentially mirror that.' Aberdeen's Scottish Cup final triumph has secured guaranteed European league action next season and a Uefa cash bonus of around £5million. The Dons will enter the Europa League play-offs with ties played on August 21 and 28. Should they lose the play-off, Aberdeen will parachute into the Conference League. Manager Jimmy Thelin has already began bolstering his squad in a bid to balance European league action with domestic commitments. Australian international striker Kusini Yengi, 26, has signed a pre-contract. Yengi will arrive on a free following the expiration of his contract with Portsmouth. Versatile left-back Emmanuel Gyamfi, 20, was signed from German Bundesliga 2 club FC Schalke 04 on a four-year-deal for an undisclosed fee. Australian winger Nicolas Milanovic was also secured for around £400,000 from A-League club Western Sydney Wanderers. The 23-year-old was recently named the A-League player of the year. Keeper Nick Suman, 25, was also secured and will join the Reds when his contract with Cove Rangers expires later this month. Aberdeen are in advanced talks with multiple transfer targets ahead of the summer transfer window. Irvine is confident the Reds will build on the Scottish Cup triumph. He said: 'All the Aberdeen players should take huge confidence from the cup win. 'Ultimately they lost out on that third-placed Premiership finish. 'But that was overtaken by qualifying for the Europa League play-off anyway by winning the Scottish Cup. 'It has been a great season for all the players and now they should build on that. 'Thelin signed a lot of players in his first season, with many Scandinavians, and it takes a little time to settle. 'They'll have more confidence and experience to take the next step in their Aberdeen career. 'There will be more new signings in the summer window. 'However, most of the players have been under Thelin for a year and we will see the best of them next season.' Pittodrie great Irvine famously scored the winning penalty as the Dons triumphed 9-8 in a spot-kick shoot-out against Celtic in the 1990 Scottish Cup final. Irvine was back at Hampden for further penalty shoot-out drama. Only this time he was watching as one of the 20,000 Aberdeen supporters who cheered the Reds to a 4-3 triumph on penalties. Aberdeen also won the Scottish Cup on Irvine's 60th birthday. He said: 'I was down on a supporters' bus that was arranged by the club, and left from Pittodrie. 'At Hampden, I sat in amongst the supporters – because I am one myself. 'I was there with my daughter's partner. 'It was a slightly different position from 35 years ago… but just as nervy! 'When we won the Scottish Cup for the first time since 1990, it was a very emotional moment. 'I'm delighted for the players, the club and the fans. 'It was extra special because Aberdeen won the cup on my 60th birthday. 'A lot of supporters took selfies with me at Hampden, which I really enjoyed. 'On the journey home the music was pumping out with lots of songs sung. 'We got back to Pittodrie just ahead of the team bus which arrived just after 11. 'The night was probably still young for the youngsters, but 60-year-old me thought I had better go home. 'The unity between the club and city is strong at the moment which is fantastic to see.'
North Wales Chronicle
9 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Kagiso Rabada five-for hands South Africa initiative before Australia fight back
Rabada overtook Allan Donald to become his country's most prolific Test wicket-taker by claiming five for 51 as Australia were bowled out for 212 on the opening day at Lord's. Yet on what proved a fine day for seam bowling, Australia hit back to reduce the Proteas to 43 for four in their reply before the close. Australia initially struggled in gloomy conditions after being put in to bat by Temba Bavuma. Rabada made his mark early on as he removed Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green in the space of four deliveries. Marco Jansen – who finished with three for 49 – also caused problems and accounted for Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head. That left Australia 67 for four but their innings was repaired by the ever-dependable Steve Smith, who overcame a difficult start to carve out 66. In the process he became the leading overseas Test run-scorer at Lord's, reaching 591 before being caught – at the third attempt – by Jansen at slip off the spin of Aiden Markram. Australian pacers rattle South Africa's top order in the final session to seize the momentum at Stumps 👊 Follow LIVE ➡️ — ICC (@ICC) June 11, 2025 He had shared in a fifth-wicket stand of 79 with Beau Webster, who had survived two lbw scares in his own less-than-convincing start. The first saw him escape on review and the second, off Rabada, would have seen him removed if Bavuma had reviewed. He rode out those difficulties as he went on to top-score in the innings with 72 from 92 deliveries. He helped Australia to 190 for five at tea but then Keshav Maharaj prompted a collapse by bowling Alex Carey, who attempted an ill-fated reverse sweep on 23. Rabada returned to account for Pat Cummins and Webster and finished off the innings by bowling Mitchell Starc after Jansen had cleaned up Nathan Lyon. It took his career wicket tally to 332, two ahead of Donald. South Africa's batters were unable to build on the work of their attack as Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder and Tristan Stubbs all fell in a difficult 22-over session. Starc took two for 10 with Josh Hazlewood and Cummins grabbing a wicket apiece.
