Saints storm past Leeds to win third Women’s Challenge Cup in a row

St Helens Women made it three Challenge Cup wins in a row as they were named 2023 winners with a 22-8 win against Leeds Rhinos at Wembley.

It was a historic clash with it being the first Women’s final to be held at Wembley alongside the Men’s final and the 1895 Cup final respectively.

And with the women’s final raising the curtain on the day’s action under the arch, the performance certainly raised a few eyebrows and justified exactly why this fixture was included in the showcase event.

Where skill lacked on the very odd occasion, it was replaced with drama and ‘on the edge of your seat stuff’ as Saints and Leeds battled it out in the capital.

But once Saints got into their stride, there was literally no way of stopping them – not for five minutes at least. Ironically like their run in this competition over the past three years, Saints scored three successive tries in three sets to set themselves way on their way to a famous victory in the national stadium.

Leeds looked out of ideas and despite the best efforts of Caitlin Beevers who attempted to rally the troops, it appeared like it could be a long day for the West-Yorkshire side.

However, they were given a lifeline on 25 minutes when Sophie Robinson went over in the far corner and Leeds had dragged themselves back into the contest.

Despite the half-time score being 16-4 in Saints’ favour, the contest was back on .

Two minutes into the second half, it got even more exciting for a neutral as Caitlin Beevers ran from her own 30-metre line to score an unbelievable try – and one that was very deserved.

Saints did finally kick back into gear when Shona Hoyle’s determined run was rewarded with a try in the corner, extending the lead to 20-6.

The win means Saints have won seven out of the last nine Challenge Cup finals across the last decade (2020 was cancelled due to Covid-19) and will be looking to equal their own record of being the only side to win four Challenge Cup titles in a row when they completed the feat between 2013 and 2017 under the name Thatto Heath.

But in the wider perspective, it would be expected that the final has done wonders for the women’s game as it made itself a real highlight of a showcase event, breaking down yet another barrier that previously stood in the way.

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