Warrington defeat Leigh to reach Wembley

Betfred Challenge Cup semi-final

Warrington (15) 21

Tries: Tai, Vaughan, King Goals: Sneyd 4 Drop-goal: Sneyd

Leigh (4) 14

Tries: Ipape, Niu 2 Goal: O'Brien

Warrington Wolves secured a second consecutive Challenge Cup final appearance with victory over local rivals Leigh Leopards in a pulsating match at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Edwin Ipape put Leigh ahead after just 49 seconds but tries from Rodrick Tai, Paul Vaughan and Toby King, and the impeccable kicking of Marc Sneyd put Sam Burgess' side in control.

Leigh, who won the 2023 final, refused to give up as Tesi Niu went over twice in the second half, but Sneyd's shrewd drop-goal with the last action of the first half kept daylight between the sides, in sweltering conditions.

Wire, who lost to all-conquering Wigan Warriors at Wembley last year, will face Hull Kingston Rovers in the final on 7 June.

Leigh were the form side going into the game after five straight wins had taken them to third in Super League, while Warrington had lost three of their previous four and have struggled since losing playmaker George Williams to injury.

They were boosted by the return of Sneyd after he fractured an eye socket in April, but he was off to a poor start as his attempted kick in the Wolves' first set of six was charged down by Ipape, who picked up and ran half the length of the field to finish.

Leigh sought to press home their advantage but Dufty came up with a marvellous tackle and ball steal, over the line, on Darnell McIntosh as he caught a Lachlan Lam chip to the corner.

That invigorated Warrington after their early setback and when they finally cut loose down the right, Josh Thewlis, making his 100th club appearance, picked up a bouncing pass and when Josh Charnley attempted to intercept his pass to Tai, the ball looped into the air and Tai athletically grabbed it to touch down.

The excellent Paul Vaughan had begun that move with a sharp off-load, and he grabbed the second try for himself, powering over from dummy half despite the presence of three tacklers.

Sneyd converted both tries, added a penalty, and then slotted over the telling drop-goal at the end of the half to make up for his early error.

Leigh began the second half with serious intent, but Thewlis produced a remarkable tackle to bring Ipape up inches short of the line before Niu finished off Gareth O'Brien's break to blow the game open once more.

King seemed to have sealed the win as he scored from Dufty's lofted pass, with Sneyd adding another classy conversion from wide on the left, but again Leigh hit back as Niu grabbed his second try.

Warrington held firm to spark scenes of celebration as they head to Wembley seeking their first Challenge Cup triumph since 2019.

Warrington head coach Sam Burgess told BBC Radio Merseyside:

"I'm proud of them. We had a lot of bumps and bruises and lost both wingers, which is really hard to manage, and then lost Fitzy [Lachlan Fitzgibbon] but we're used to it nowadays so we just get on with it.

"We all witnessed the effort the players put in. I thought it was a decent game of rugby, a tough game, and both sides were very good. Leigh had some great moments as well.

"After the first minute I was proud of the players' ability to emotionally control their actions and get back into our game cycle and get a foothold in the game.

[On Sneyd] "He's a brilliant player. He's a strong-willed character and he came to me and said, 'I want to train this week and play,' and it's so valuable to have those guys around because they drive hard standards, when he's just had surgery."

[On Vaughan] "He's been brilliant all year but today he really took the game by the scruff of the neck early and dragged the team forward. We're doing everything to keep him."

Warrington: Dufty; Josh Thewlis, Tai, King, Ashton; Ratchford, Sneyd; Yates, Powell, Vaughan, Holroyd, Fitzgibbon, Currie.

Interchanges: Philbin, Crowther, Lindop, Harrison.

Leigh: Armstrong; McIntosh, Niu, Hanley, Charnley; O'Brien, Lam; Trout, Ipape, Mulhern, O'Neill, Hughes, Liu.

Interchanges: Hodgson, McNamara, Davis, Ofahengaue.

Referee: Liam Moore.