Saturday’s showpiece should open league up to the possibilities of a new world away from the national stadiumYou do not even need to step inside Wembley to understand rugby league’s lengthy and rich history with the national stadium. A statue immortalising five of the game’s greatest players – Eric Ashton, Billy Boston, Martin Offiah, Alex Murphy and Gus Risman – has pride of place outside the ground but, in an ever-changing sporting landscape, history alone is not enough to guarantee a long-term future.That never felt more evident for the game than on Saturday, when the Challenge Cup final took in new surroundings across the capital at Tottenham. For some traditionalists, moving the cup final away from Wembley is an act...
Warrington will bid to end a dismal run in finals since 2012. Saints are looking to step up in what could be a famous seasonThere is a certain sense of irony that in what has been the most unpredictable Super League season in living memory, the lineup for this year’s Challenge Cup final has an air of inevitability to it. St Helens and Warrington have led the way for most of 2019, so to some, it will be no surprise to see them competing for the year’s first piece of silverware next month at Wembley.However, with just three trophies between them in the past decade, the first-ever meeting in a major final between two towns separated by just nine miles...
CEO talks of dream start for sport’s first transatlantic team who make their competitive bow on a small field on the outskirts of the West Yorkshire town“Why can’t it happen? You’ve always got to dream,” replies Eric Perez when asked if Toronto Wolfpack, who make their competitive debut this weekend, can reach the Challenge Cup final. Such bullish claims are what rugby league will have to get used to if the sport’s most daring venture takes off in Canada, but grandiose predictions are part of the appeal which has made the Wolfpack project so intriguing.Almost two years have passed since the RFL revealed a team from Toronto would enter the English league structure in 2017. It is the kind of...