In a repeat of last year’s Women’s Challenge Cup Final, Leeds Rhinos and St Helens met in the first time that the Final had been staged at Wembley Stadium, the Rhinos hoping to overcome the disappointment of an 18-8 loss fifteen months ago.

Saints are currently second in the Group 1 table with the Rhinos in third spot and when the sides last met at the end of May it was the Saints who were again winners by a 38-18 scoreline.

Saints were the favourites to record a third consecutive Final win and record their seventh victory, while the Rhinos are the second most successful side in the competition, looking for their third win and their first since 2019.

Rhinos Jasmine Cudjoe was the first to trouble the Saints line after a cagey opening five minutes when she was held up over the line.

On nine, a fantastic forty metres run from Amy Hardcastle saw her hauled down just short by Emily Partington with a fabulous try saving tackle. As Saints returned the ball they kicked on the last tackle and Ruby Enright knocked on while stood on her own twenty.

On the third tackle Tara Jones scooted from acting half back and managed to find the line despite the attention of four Leeds defenders. The video was sent to the video referee Tom Grant, who agreed with the referee. Amy Taylor added the conversion for a 6-0 lead.

Within minutes Saints were in again for a 10-0 lead, Phoebe Hook taking the final ball to step past her opposite winger and step inside the full back to score. Taylor converted from the left touchline; Leeds rocked.

Saints were running rampant as they scored their third on seventeen minutes with Eboni Partington taking her turn to cross after finding space in the left corner. Taylor hit the cross bar with the conversion attempt, Saints with a 16-0 lead and looking devastating.

The Rhinos stopped the rot on twenty-five after a kick to the corner was caught and passed by Caitlan Beevers to Sophie Robinson who grounded in the corner. Ruby Enright was short with her conversion attempt, the Rhinos now two converted tries behind.

On thirty, Saints spilled the ball on their own twenty, but Leeds were unable to profit, a poor kick from Hannah Butcher going dead in goal.

With thirty seconds of the half remaining, Leeds went over the line but couldn’t get the ball on the ground through a forest of Saints limbs, Leeds going into the interval with a second half mountain to climb.

Two minutes after the restart the Rhinos were right back in the game with a sensational Beevers break from acting half back with a seventy-metre sprint to the line after a fast play the ball from Enright. Enright had the kicking duties and was again short with the kick, the Saints lead down to eight points.

The fightback was short-lived Shona Hoyle taking a Faye Gaskin kick to shrug off three attempted tackles and ground in the right corner, despite an attempted high tackle. Taylor could not add the extras from wide.

An Amy Taylor penalty on sixty-four extended the lead to 22-8, the Rhinos now needing to score three times, it was all over, Saints still the cup kings.

Leading from the start, initially against the run of play, Saints secured their third consecutive Challenge Cup win in some style as they stifled the Rhinos creativity and exploited any weakness that they exposed in the Rhinos defence. The Saints onslaught and skill was just too much for a Leeds side lacking a bit of big game experience with a number of personnel changes since last season. It’s an amazing feat from a Saints side who continue to dominate the women’s game.

Leeds Rhinos: Enright, Nuttall, Butcher, Beevers (T), Robinson (T), Casey, Greening, Anderson, Cudjoe, Hornby, Murray, Hardcastle, Dainton.  Subs:  Frain, Hayward, Moxon, Northrop. 18th Man: Lockwood.

St Helens: Harris, Hook (T), Travis, Malcolm Partington (T), Taylor (3G), Gaskin, Crowl, Jones (T), Birchall, Hoyle (T), Rudge, Cunningham. Subs: Williams, Whitfield, Sams, Mottershead. 18th Man: Rotherham. 

Half-Time: 4-16.

Full-Time: 8-22.

Score Progression: 0-4, 0-6, 0-10, 0-12, 0-16, 4-16 : HT: 8-16, 8-20, 8-22 : FT.

Lead Exchanges: Saints.

Referee: James Vella.