Women's Challenge Cup final: St Helens 18-8 Leeds Rhinos
- Published
St Helens beat Leeds to win Women's Challenge Cup
Betfred Women's Challenge Cup final |
|---|
St Helens (4) 18 |
Tries: Burke, Partington 2, Cunningham Goals: Stott |
Leeds (8) 8 |
Tries: Hornby Goals: Winfield-Hill 2 |
St Helens retained their Women's Challenge Cup title with a thrilling victory against Leeds Rhinos.
In front of record 5,888 fans for an English game, Eboni Partington scored two tries as Saints came from behind to win in a repeat of last year's final.
Zoe Hornby powered over to put Leeds in front before Saints' Leah Burke scored but Courtney Winfield-Hill's goal gave Leeds a four-point half-time lead.
Jodie Cunningham's try put Saints ahead before Partington sealed the win.
The match was the first in a Challenge Cup triple-header in Leeds, with Wigan taking on St Helens and Huddersfield facing Hull KR in the men's semi-finals.
In a repeat of last season's Grand Final, the 2022 showpiece began with an exciting opening quarter of an hour, with both sides exchanging attacks.
Leeds edged ahead through Hornby's score, ending Saints' impressive run of not conceding a point in this year's tournament.
Burke's impressive try came after she touched down from Zoe Harris' high kick, but Winfield-Hill's long-range penalty goal on the stroke of the half-time hooter restored Leeds' four-point cushion after Beth Stott missed the extras for Saints.
St Helens won last season's Women's Challenge Cup as part of a domestic treble
The reigning champions had been hot favourites to retain the cup prior to kick-off, but Elychia Watson came inches away from finding Leeds' second try soon after the break. However, she could not touch down and went to ground agonisingly close to the line.
Saints made them pay 10 minutes into the second half as Partington pounced onto Leeds spilling the ball on their try-line to move them level, but Stott's missed conversion kept Leeds in it.
Just past the hour mark, Leeds won a penalty in kicking range but Winfield-Hill swung her kick wide of the mark to miss the chance to send them in front.
Saints took just two minutes from that moment to power into the lead as Cunningham raced in at the other end following some good build-up work from the holders.
Partington's late try wrapped things up for Saints, but they had to work hard to beat a resilient Leeds in a final to remember.
St Helens: Rotherham, Partington, Hardcastle, Roberts, Burke; Stott, Harris; I Rudge, Jones, Crowl, Travis, Williams, Cunningham.
Interchanges: Whitfield, Sandham, E Rudge, Woosey.
Leeds: Goldthorp, Gaines, Butcher, Beevers, Hulme; Roche, Winfield-Hill; Anderson, Bennett, Stavely, Kerrigan, Watson, Hornby.
Interchanges: Lumley, Lacey, McCallion, Barnes.