2023 Challenge Cup final
{{Short description|Rugby league match in the United Kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox rugby league football match
|year = 2023
|title = Challenge Cup Final
|image = File:2023 Challenge Cup Final Match Overview 02.jpg
|imagesize = 250px
|caption =
|alt =
|home = {{leagueicon|hull kr|16}} Hull KR
|away = {{leagueicon|Leigh|16}} Leigh Leopards
|home_abbr = {{leagueicon|hull kr|16}} HKR
|away_abbr = {{leagueicon|Leigh|16}} LEI
|home_half1 = 8
|home_half2 = 8
|home_gp1 = 0
|home_total = 16
|away_half1 = 10
|away_half2 = 6
|away_gp1 = 1
|away_total = 17
|date = 12 August 2023, 15:00
|location = London, United Kingdom
|MoM_title = Lance Todd Trophy
|MoM = Lachlan Lam
|anthem_title = God Save The King
and Abide with Me
|referee = Chris Kendall
|stadium = Wembley Stadium
|network = BBC One
|commentators = Dave Woods
|commentators2= John Kear
|commentators3= Jonathan Davies
|tournaments = Finals
|last = 2022
|next = 2024
}}
The 2023 Challenge Cup Final was the 122nd final of the Rugby Football League's Challenge Cup knock-out competition. The 2023 final marked its return to Wembley Stadium after its one year hiatus at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022. The final was contested by Leigh Leopards and Hull KR.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/66462905|title=Hull KR and Leigh 'have earned cup final place'|date=August 11, 2023|website=BBC Sport}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/aug/11/hull-kr-and-leigh-await-chance-to-end-long-search-for-challenge-cup-glory-rugby-league|title=Challenge Cup final: Hull KR and Leigh look to end long wait for glory|first=Aaron|last=Bower|date=August 11, 2023|via=The Guardian}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.skysports.com/amp/rugby-league/news/12196/12937501/challenge-cup-final-2023-talking-points-for-rugby-leagues-historic-womens-and-mens-wembley-showpiece|title=Challenge Cup final 2023: Talking points for rugby league's historic women's and men's Wembley showpiece|website=Sky Sports}}
Leigh won the cup, their first title since 1971, by 17 points to 16, after the game went to golden point extra time, as Matt Parcell scored a last minute try for Hull KR, (after a lengthy review from the video referee), to level the scores at 16-all after 80 minutes.
Just over one minute into extra time, Leigh were penalised for a ball steal, and Hull KR were awarded a penalty. Brad Schneider kicked to touch, but the ball did not go out of play, and Leigh got the ball back. Gareth O'Brien then tried his luck with a drop goal, but his effort was wide.
The next attempt came to Schneider, but he also missed with his effort. Then, on 83 minutes, Lachlan Lam kicked the winning drop goal, to win the match 17-16.
For the first time since 1986, the final did not feature Leeds, St Helens, Wigan or Warrington. It was also the first time the men's and women's final took place at Wembley on the same day – 12 August 2023.{{cite news | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/62518840 | title=Challenge Cup final to return to Wembley in 2023 | work=BBC Sport }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/wembley-to-host-challenge-cup-final-double-header-in-2023|title=Wembley to host Challenge Cup final double-header in 2023|date=August 12, 2022|website=LoveRugbyLeague}}
Background
File:2023 Challenge Cup Final Olympic Way from Steps 02.jpg
The 2023 Challenge Cup final was Leigh Leopards' third final and first in 52 years after winning the 1970–71 Challenge Cup final. Their only other final was in 1920–21 which also resulted in a Leigh win. Leigh were a newly promoted side in 2023 and second in Super League upon reaching the final.
Hull KR by contrast were playing in their eighth Challenge Cup final, with their most recent being their 2015 defeat to Leeds Rhinos treble-winning side. Their only win of their previous seven however was a derby day victory in 1979–80. Hull KR qualified for the cup final placed sixth in the Super League table.
Route to the final
=Leigh Leopards=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center; width: 75%;" |
| scope="col" style="width:20%"|Round
!scope="col" style="width:30%"|Opposition !scope="col" style="width:30%"|Venue !scope="col" style="width:20%"|Score |
|---|
| Sixth round
|{{leagueicon|Wakefield|16}} Wakefield Trinity |40–12 |
| Quarter-final
|{{leagueicon|York RLFC|16}} York Knights |34–14 |
| Semi-final
|{{leagueicon|St Helens|16}} St Helens |12–10 |
=Hull KR=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center; width: 75%;" |
| scope="col" style="width:20%"|Round
!scope="col" style="width:30%"|Opposition !scope="col" style="width:30%"|Venue !scope="col" style="width:20%"|Score |
|---|
| Sixth round
|{{leagueicon|Batley|16}} Batley Bulldogs |50–0 |
| Quarter-final
|{{leagueicon|Salford City|16}} Salford Red Devils |28–10 |
| Semi-final
|{{leagueicon|Wigan|16}} Wigan Warriors |11–10 |
Pre-match
File:2023 Challenge Cup Final Pre-Match Overlook.jpg
Before the final, Wembley hosted the Year 7 Champion Schools Finals, known as the Steven Mullaney Memorial Game, with Kingston upon Hull's Archbishop Sentamu Academy rugby league team beating Leigh's Bedford High School team 18–6.{{cite news |last1=Bowman |first1=Jack |title=It was heartbreak for Hull KR at Wembley - but a young team from the city came away victorious |url=https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/heartbreak-hull-kr-wembley-young-8675866 |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=Hull Daily Mail |date=15 August 2023}}
St Helens and Leeds Rhinos competed in the preceding 2023 Women's Challenge Cup final. The match was won by St Helens 22–8, seeing Saints win the competition for the third time in a row and sixth in total.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/66463498|title=Saints beat Leeds in historic Challenge Cup final|via=www.bbc.co.uk}}
Traffic on the M1 prevented an estimated 20,000 ticketholders from being present at kickoff.{{Cite web|url=https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/challenge-cup-motorway-delays-as-rugby-league-fans-make-their-way-to-wembley-stadium|title=Challenge Cup: Motorway delays as rugby league fans make their way to Wembley Stadium|date=August 12, 2023|website=LoveRugbyLeague}}
Match details
{{rugbyleaguebox|bg=#f1f5fc
|date=Saturday, 12 August
|time=15:00 (BST)
|team1= Hull KR {{leagueicon|hull kr|12}}
|score= 16–17
{{goldenpt}}
|report= [https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/66463438.amp report]
|team2={{leagueicon|Leigh|12}} Leigh Leopards
|try1= Litten (15')
Parcell (79')
|goal1= Schneider (4/4) 16', 40' (penalty), 47' (penalty), 79'
|drop1=
|try2= Lam (27')
Briscoe (66')
|goal2= Reynolds (4/5) 5' (penalty), 27', 31' (penalty), 67'
|drop2=Lam (83')
|stadium=Wembley Stadium, London
|referee= Chris Kendall
|attendance=58,213
}}
{{Rugby league match squad
| collapsed = n
| align = left
| hometeam = Hull Kingston Rovers
| homeBorder = white
| homeBGcolour = red
| homeFGcolour = white
| awayteam = Leigh Leopards
| awayBorder = red
| awayBGcolour = white
| awayFGcolour = red
| squadsize = 18
| location = n
| abbr = n
| homeCoach =Willie Peters
| homeFB = Mikey Lewis
| homeFBnum =20
| homeWG1 =Ethan Ryan
| homeWG1num =2
| homeCE1 =Tom Opacic
| homeCE1num =3
| homeCE2 =Shaun Kenny-Dowall
| homeCE2num =4
| homeWG2 =Ryan Hall
| homeWG2num =5
| homeSO =Rowan Milnes
| homeSOnum =21
| homeSH =Brad Schneider
| homeSHnum =37
| homePR1 =Rhys Kennedy {{suboff|28}} {{subon|60}} {{suboff|70}}
| homePR1num =15
| homeHK =Jez Litten
| homeHKnum =14
| homePR2 =George King {{suboff|28}} {{subon|54}}
| homePR2num =10
| homeSR1 =James Batchelor
| homeSR1num =16
| homeSR2 =Kane Linnett
| homeSR2num =12
| homeLF =Elliott Minchella {{sin bin|31|41}} {{suboff|60}} {{subon|70}}
| homeLFnum =13
| homeIN1 =Matt Parcell
| homeIN1num =9
| homeIN2 =Matty Storton
| homeIN2num =17
| homeIN3 =Dean Hadley {{subon|28}} {{suboff|75}}
| homeIN3num =22
| homeIN4 =Sam Luckley {{subon|28}} {{suboff|54}} {{subon|75}}
| homeIN4num =26
| homeIN5 =Jimmy Keinhorst
| homeIN5num =
| awayCoach = Adrian Lam
| awayFB =Gareth O'Brien
| awayFBnum =17
| awayWG1 =Josh Charnley
| awayWG1num =5
| awayCE1 =Ed Chamberlain
| awayCE1num =3
| awayCE2 =Zak Hardaker
| awayCE2num =4
| awayWG2 =Tom Briscoe
| awayWG2num =2
| awaySO =Ben Reynolds
| awaySOnum =15
| awaySH =Lachlan Lam
| awaySHnum =7
| awayPR1 =Tom Amone
| awayPR1num =8
| awayHK =Edwin Ipape
| awayHKnum =9
| awayPR2 =Robbie Mulhern
| awayPR2num =10
| awaySR1 =Kai O'Donnell
| awaySR1num =24
| awaySR2 =Jack Hughes
| awaySR2num =12
| awayLF =John Asiata
| awayLFnum =13
| awayIN1 =Joe Mellor
| awayIN1num =6
| awayIN2 =Oliver Holmes
| awayIN2num =16
| awayIN3 =Ben Nakubuwai
| awayIN3num =14
| awayIN4 =Matty Davis
| awayIN4num =18
| awayIN5 =Joe Wardle
| awayIN5num =11
| source =
}}{{clear}}
Post-match
File:2023 Challenge Cup Final Trophy Lift.jpg lifting the Challenge Cup trophy in the Royal Box Presentation Area]]
Following the men's and women's Challenge Cup finals, Wembley hosted the final of the 2023 1895 Cup, which saw the Halifax Panthers beat the Batley Bulldogs 12–10.{{cite news |title=1895 Cup final: Batley Bulldogs 10-12 Halifax Panthers |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/66463823 |access-date=5 April 2025 |work=BBC Sport |date=13 August 2023}}
The following day there was a trophy parade held in Leigh to celebrate the Leopards' victory.{{cite news |last=Cunningham |first=Conal |url=https://www.leighjournal.co.uk/news/23720161.crowds-line-streets-leigh-leopards-incredible-trophy-parade/ |title=Crowds line the streets for Leigh Leopards 'incredible' trophy parade |work=Leigh Journal |date=13 August 2023 |access-date=14 August 2023}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Commons category-inline}}
{{2023 in rugby league}}
{{Challenge Cup}}
{{Leigh - 2023 Challenge Cup Final winners}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Challenge Cup final, 2023}}
Category:2023 in sport in London
Category:August 2023 sports events in the United Kingdom