Leeds vs St Helens: The last hurdle on the road to Wembley

This weekend sees the semi-finals of the 2015 Challenge Cup fought out, with two teams set to leap the last hurdle to the final at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, August 29.

For many UK league fans, the Challenge is still the competition to win, with all the history, passion and atmosphere it, invokes and the prospect of a big day out or weekend away from the traditional heartlands.

The final itsself is a fantastic carnival for fans of all clubs, big and small, to converge on the capital and celebrate our great game over a bank holiday weekend, and watch one team enter the record books and hold aloft the magnificent trophy first battled for in 1897.

The first game is set for Friday evening (for the first time) and brings together two big guns of the British game in Leeds Rhinos and St Helens. Both sides have won the competition 12 times during their illustrious histories and lie joint second for overall wins behind Wigan.

The Rhinos, being the holders, will start the game as the bookies’ favourites, having finished top of the Super League pile after the regular rounds. More importantly, they bush-whacked the Saints in their two meeting this season, winning away at Langtree Park 41-18 in April and earlier this month by 46-18 on their own Headingley pitch.

The Rhinos boast a fine back line with skill and speed aplenty, from Zak Hardaker at fullback through a three-quarter line containing Tom Briscoe, Kallum Watkins and Ryan Hall, they play with a cavalier flair which, if you’re not on the receiving end, is grand to watch.

This is complemented by the canny and wily old halves of Danny McGuire and Kevin Sinfield, aided by the diminutive Rob Burrow (who can also play hooker to devastating effect). These blokes boss the team around the paddock with the assured hands (and boots) of mates safe in the knowledge of telepathic communication born of years of playing together.

The Loiners pack offers a solid platform for their silky backs to play off. There is a look of Dad’s Army about the Leeds six, with the consistently superb Jamie Peacock leading the way with former NRL men Kylie Leuluai and Adam Cuthbertson (whose natural game seems to suit the English style of football) providing additional grunt up front.

Papua New Guinea international Paul Aiton usually slots in at rake and has had a good season after taking some time to settle last year. The equally experienced Jamie Jones Buchanan, Carl Ablett and Brett Delaney muster for the back row, with Stevie Ward and Brad Singleton offering a flourish of youth among the dreadnoughts.

Leeds have played with a fluidity and consistency this year, which they have perhaps lacked over the last couple of seasons. They appeared to get a monkey off their backs in 2014 by winning the Challenge Cup for the first time since 1999.

They have an excellent coach in Brian McDermott, who’s as cool and tough as they come. He’s not the most demonstrative of coaches but never panics and knows how to get the best out his players and commands their respect. He’ll have the Rhinos ready for this game and will want them to get off to a rip-roaring start, playing to the wide men at every opportunity, aiming to rattle up the scores and get a commanding lead as early as possible.

St Helens have gone through a prolonged period of transition, bringing together a new team after many successful seasons over the last 20 years, culminating in winning the 2014 Super League grand final after a stretch without any silverware.

Rookie coach and club legend Keiron Cunningham took charge at the start of 2015, and he has put together a backroom staff of his old comrades, who were with him as players during the glory years. They look to be fostering the old spirit and never-say-die attitude that epitomised the club during their playing days.

St Helens’ injury problems were well documented last season, and they have been harangued again this year with bad luck. They lost regular fullback Johnny Lomax for the season earlier in the year, and have since been beset with retirements to two replacements and a season-ending injury to another fullback.

The current (and seventh) incumbent is Adam Quinlan, brought in from the reserves at Parramatta a couple of weeks back, and he has taken to his duties like a duck to water. Although still early days it appears that, like Cuthbertson at Leeds, his natural game suits the English style.

Where the Saints need to man up against the Rhinos is in the three quarters. Young centre Mark Percival looks a very good prospect, and Jordan Turner in the left berth has put in some good performances and will need to be on his mettle defensively. On the edges they look to be weaker, reserve wing Matt Dawson is really a make-weight player, while Adam Swift on the other flank can come up with some fantastic plays but is inconsistent and prone to mistakes.

St Helens sport an Aussie pairing in the halves. Stand off Travis Burns was brought in during the off season and while he hasn’t set the world on fire in attack, he has worked hard for the side. After suffering a horrendous leg injury that curtailed his 2014 season, scrum half Luke Walsh came back in April, but suffered another serious injury within a matter of weeks. He has recently returned and been rusty, however last weekend against Hull KR he looked to be getting back to his best, linking well with Burns who also put in a good show. It is crucial for Saints that these two blokes turn up with their ‘A’ game.

With a big, powerful pack, the forwards is the area where St Helens could really hurt Leeds. Big and rangy with a good engine, young Alex Walmsley has been having a cracking season in the front row, and he should be looking for an England call up to face New Zealand come October. In there with him is Kyle Amor, another big lad with a good work rate who gets through all the dirty work in an effective manner.

If he’s in the mood, St George-bound Samoan giant Mose Masoe can cause all kinds of trouble; even when not carrying the ball his menacing presence has the opposition keeping close tabs to him, allowing gaps further out to be exploited.

Club captain Jon Wilkin is currently out injured, but Saints are very strong in the back row and could start with any combination of Atelea Vea, Louie McCarthy Scarsbrook, Mark Flanagan, Josh Jones, and youngsters Luke Thompson, Andre Savelio and Joe Greenwood. All are big units with a good turn of speed and aggression.

The ace in the hole for St Helens though is hooker James Roby – an 80 minute player who doesn’t appear to have a weakness in his game and is still the best English rake by some way.

We’re set up for a corker of a match – the older, more experienced, and faster Rhinos against the more youthful and powerful Saints. Although the Rhinos start as favourites, I have a sneaky feeling that the Saints will edge this one.

It may be bias – I’m a Saints fan – but I just feel that they are due a big performance against Leeds after the two games they have played thus far.