5 takeaways as Wigan edge Challenge Cup thriller to beat Wakefield in quarter-finals
Zach Eckersley (left) celebrates one of his tries alongside team-mate Adam Keighran (right) during Wigan Warriors' Challenge Cup quarter-final tie at Wakefield Trinity in 2026
Wigan Warriors edged a humdinger of a Challenge Cup tie, winning 26-22 at Belle Vue on Sunday afternoon to tee up a semi-final against rivals St Helens.
The Warriors, 21 times winners of the competition, battled back from 12-0 down in the first half and then saw out the final 17 minutes with a four-point advantage to reach the semi-finals.
Live from the press box, these are our five key takeaways from the quarter-final tie…
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WHAT a cup tie
Before we get into anything else, we thought it only right to acknowledge how enjoyable a game that was to watch, exactly what the Challenge Cup should be about!
At no point was it ever truly known who’d be progressing, we saw plenty of bite and it was a tie between two sides desperate to win it.
That game being put on the BBC is exactly the coverage we need for the game. Superb stuff. We’ve two tantalising semi-final ties to come next month as Wigan take on Saints and Warrington face Hull KR.
How did Jazz Tevaga not see red?
That’ll be a question being asked by almost everyone who was at Belle Vue on Sunday afternoon and those who were watching from further afield.
Towards the end of the first half, Tevaga kicked out at Warriors winger Liam Marshall in a tackle, and it looked to all intents and purposes that would be the end of his game.
Referee Liam Moore opted for yellow. We’re sure that won’t be the last we hear of the incident. So too the case, perhaps, for the scuffle which broke out just before the hour-mark.
Matt Peet’s proud Wigan record kept alive
Wigan arrived at Belle Vue having lost consecutive Super League games to Huddersfield Giants and rivals Saints. That loss at Saints came in gut-wrenching style, too.
But under Matt Peet, who took charge at the start of the 2022 campaign, the Warriors had never lost three games in a row.
And they still haven’t, with Sunday’s narrow win keeping his proud record in-tact. A gritty display from his side to get the job done here!
Wakefield’s long wait goes on
In contrast to that, Wakefield‘s long wait for a Challenge Cup semi-final goes on having not been in the competition’s last-four since 2016.
It’s been far longer since Trinity got to a Challenge Cup final, that back in 1979. But for this year at least, their campaign is over and they will not be reaching Wembley.
Nonetheless, huge praise goes the way of Daryl Powell’s side for their part in a classic cup tie. We’re sure they’ll be in and amongst it again in the Super League play-offs come the end of the year.
Warriors squad selection
It’s been a talking point for a few weeks now, and it didn’t end up costing them today, but Wigan’s bench selection is still worth a mention.
Two of the four spots on the bench today were taken up by young forward Kian McDermott, who played x minutes, and unused interchange Noah Hodkinson.
Some of the Warriors’ senior figures are having to play some big minutes to compensate, Brad O’Neill with another full 80 at nine despite Tom Forber being back at the club, and over an hour played by Luke Thompson across a couple of stints.
