Final four eye Wembley Challenge Cup opportunity

Wembley and a Challenge Cup final appearance is the carrot dangling tantalisingly above women’s rugby league’s four heavyweights, as the semi-finals take place this weekend.

Reigning champions Wigan take on York Valkyrie in Warrington on Saturday (11:30 BST), backed by a bumper support also there to watch the men’s side.

Their vanquished opponents last year were St Helens, who after a trophyless 2025 are bidding to return silverware to the cabinet but will have to overcome old foes Leeds Rhinos in Doncaster on Sunday (13:00 BST) to do so.

Both games will be shown live on the BBC iPlayer.

The final itself will be a double-header with the men’s fixture at Wembley on Saturday, 30 May.

Wigan’s all-conquering 2025 campaign realised their potential and promise in spectacular fashion.

With Izzy Rowe, Jenna Foubister, Grace Banks and Woman of Steel Eva Hunter to the fore, Wigan stormed to Wembley and thrashed fierce rivals Saints under the arch in a mesmerising display of attacking rugby.

They then took that knockout form into the league campaign and were equally dazzling, finishing top of the regular season WSL and beating Saints again in the Grand Final.

For head coach Denis Betts, himself a multiple cup winner with Wigan, it means everything to see the players he has energised making their own history at a club synonymous with success.

“It’s massive this years to see those photos around the stadium of the girls that the club are so good at,” Betts told BBC Sport.

“Most of these girls went and supported those Wigan men’s teams that have their photos of success up, and now they see pictures of Izzy Rowe, Jenna Foubister, Grace Banks, Mary Coleman up around the likes of Liam Farrell.

“It makes a massive difference to them.”

York now stand in the way of the holders’ efforts to retain their crown on Saturday.

If you are going to win a Challenge Cup, why not enlist the help of someone who knows their way around the competition?

York Valkyrie have done just that, appointing Leon Pryce – a man who played in five winning finals and also picked up the Lance Todd Trophy for joint-man of the match in 2007.

While the Valkyrie have scratched their Grand Final itch, with back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024, the Challenge Cup always eluded them under former boss Lindsay Anfield.

They have the talent, with full-back Tara Jane Stanley welcomed back after a long injury lay-off to add to the class of Savannah Andrade, Liv Wood and Canada international Megan Pakulis.

Carrie Roberts has returned to the club, while Australian NRLW star Monique Donovan has also come into the ranks, arriving to make an impact in the quarter-final win over Huddersfield.

“I was definitely glad to get all those nerves out,” Donovan told BBC Radio York of her try-scoring debut.

“I think it was a great opportunity for me to come over to England coming off the back of the Grand Final win with the [Cronulla] Sharks, it was an experience to try something new and bring my skills over.”

Donovan will certainly get a chance to test her talents against Wigan on Saturday.

Emily Rudge has spent most of her illustrious career hoisting cups and trophies above her head, so 2025 was a bit of a culture-shock for her and her St Helens team-mates.

Not one piece of silverware found its way to WA9, as rivals Wigan secured the prizes – two at Saints’ expense in particular.

Such disappointment has only added fuel to the fire for the Red Vee, who have Leah Burke fit again after a tough 2025 season, and Paige Travis back from a spell in the NRLW.

Leeds, so often their opponents at Wembley, are the latest hurdle to overcome on the route back to glory.

“It’s huge for us,” Rudge told BBC Sport. “We weren’t happy with how we played last year in the final of the Challenge Cup, so we really want to get back there and prove what we are capable of.

“It’s the biggest stage for rugby league in this country, so everyone wants to get back to Wembley. It’s a huge weekend for everybody involved.”

Leeds Rhinos have been a vanguard for women’s rugby league and for a spell had a similar clutch on the trophy as enjoyed by St Helens and now Wigan.

Lois Forsell helped establish that dominance in her time as a Rhinos player but since taking on the coaching duties has been pipped at the post when it comes to winning the final.

Not even a Martin Offiah-esque scorcher from Caitlin Beevers could swing it their way in 2023, and the Saints kept them scoreless the following year in another final loss.

Defeat by Wigan in the semi-finals last year ensured there would be no third straight final appearance for Leeds, but the incentive is certainly there to return in 2026.

“There’s a mutual respect between us heading into the game,” Forsell said of the rivalry with Saints.

“We’ve got two quality teams who will go hammer and tongs for 80 minutes. There’s definitely no score to settle other than we both want to book a spot at Wembley.”