Leeds boss Brian McDermott couldn’t hide his delight after his side booked their place in rugby league’s Challenge Cup final despite the absence of Kiwi international Brent Webb.
The former New Zealand Warriors NRL fullback missed the game with a medial ligament injury, and faces a race against time to be fit for the final at Wembley on August 25.
But that did not stop Leeds, who went into the game as underdogs, taking it to defending champions Wigan and surprising the reigning champions 39-28 in a repeat of last year’s final.
Fullback Zak Hardaker and wingers Ryan Hall and Ben Jones-Bishop scored two tries each, while Ryan Bailey also crossed as Leeds racked up seven tries.
Wigan threatened a comeback, with former Newcastle Knight George Carmont scoring their opening try, but in the end the Rhinos proved too strong.
And with a Wembley date against either Huddersfield or Warrington on the horizon, McDermott admitted he was a relieved man.
He said: “Wigan kept coming back from the dead so all respect to them for that but I’m really pleased for the players, they were sensational and a few times in that game we had to find out about ourselves and the players did that massively.
“They’re such a good team. We knew we had to be very, very good to even compete with them let alone beat them so that wasn’t so much an insightful game plan we just had to meet their intensity.
“Again the players, they deserve a hell of a lot of credit. They had to pick themselves up so many times in that game and come up against it and resist what Wigan were trying to do to us.
“The players have come up against it this year and once again we’ve been through the mill and had our tough times. We haven’t won anything just yet but we find ourselves going back to Wembley.
“It’s brilliant, it a great occasion one of the best occasions in the world and we’re very fortunate to be there again.”
It was a spectacular turnaround from the Rhinos’ 50-8 humbling at Wigan’s hands last month, with veteran Kevin Sinfield man-of-the-match for his tactical kicking performance.
However, the 31-year-old insisted that it was the dominance of the Rhinos’ pack, led by Kylie Leuluai, which was the decisive factor.
He said: “It’s been a tough few weeks especially after that hiding we got off Wigan a few weeks ago.
“We’ve finally come into some form these last four games. I’m standing here with this award but our pack were outstanding, Jamie Peacock, Kylie Leuluai, Darrell Griffin, Ryan Bailey they’re big guys up front and they set the platform.”
