Wheelchair Challenge Cup: Leeds Rhinos' Tom Halliwell 'emotional' at triumph over Argonauts

Tom Halliwell scored five tries as Leeds Rhinos won back-to-back Wheelchair Challenge Cups

Leeds Rhinos' 2021 Wheelchair Challenge Cup triumph over Argonauts to seal back-to-back titles was an "emotional" moment for Tom Halliwell, given the upheaval of Covid-19 and lockdown.

While the men's elite game continued in 2020 despite Covid, women's and wheelchair competitions had to pause.

Leeds had to wait a year to defend their 2019 cup crown, doing so by again beating Kent-based Argonauts 60-28.

"We wanted this one for a while," Halliwell told BBC Sport.

"It was a trophy which eluded us for so long and now we have gone back-to-back. This is an emotional one, just because of the year we had off with coronavirus and lockdown."

Five-try haul for Halliwell

Tom Halliwell's progression has been noted by captain James Simpson

Halliwell emulated Leeds Rhinos men's winger Tom Briscoe's 2015 feat of scoring five Challenge Cup final tries in a single game to take the player of the match award.

The England player's development has been closely watched by captain and fellow international James Simpson.

"Tom's class, I've been playing rugby league with him since he was little," Simpson said.

"The dynamics of the team have changed so much since everyone has grown, we were a really young team a few years ago and now people like Tom and Josh Butler are hitting their twenties.

"They were 12 when they started playing and now they're coming into their own."

Argonauts come up short

Fred Nye and his Argonauts teammates are now looking to reach the Grand Final

Though both Halliwell and Simpson were hugely complimentary about the Argonauts' display despite the scoreline, for the beaten finalists the defeat was hard to take.

This was the Dartford club's second taste of the Challenge Cup final, and their aim is to put disappointment behind them quickly and set sights on a Grand Final spot later in the season.

They are currently fourth in the Wheelchair League table, with Leeds at the top.

"It's a tough day, we had a game plan, we wavered in and out of it at times," England international Fred Nye said. "But it was a big miss Dan Edwards not being here as he's a crucial player.

"But what I got from the guys, you have to be happy with them. I really enjoyed it, it's a long journey to travel up here for us but we came to play.

"Fingers crossed we can look forward to a Grand Final now."