Wigan and St Helens’ only meeting in the Women’s Challenge Cup prior to this final was in 2021 when Saints won 36-0 at the quarter-final stage on their way to winning their first of four finals on the trot.
St Helens have dominated much of the women’s game in the past five years.
But a reinvigorated Wigan have started 2025 in stunning fashion to lead the early Women’s Super League table and join Saints, Leeds Rhinos and York among the powerhouses of the domestic game.
They were mightily impressive in beating last year’s finalists Leeds in the semi-finals and any hint that they would be unnerved by the occasion was banished as Rowe cut through the St Helens defence to feed Williams to run in through the posts for their first score.
Wigan then tore through Saints after Faye Gaskin’s kick was charged down, leading to Molly Jones teeing up Coleman to race through unopposed.
Perhaps Wigan’s finest try came when Veivers, who later went off with an arm injury and was pictured on the sidelines with it in a sling, collected the ball deep inside the Saints’ 10-metre line and managed to batter her way through to the line, showing sensational strength to score.
Any inkling that Wigan simply had enjoyed the rub of the green in the first half was banished when Rowe weaved her way in for a try of her own having been laser focussed with the boot during the opening stages.
Mottershead crashed over as Saints finally responded but tries from Hunter, an audacious long-range run-in from Banks, and an easy dot down at the corner from Davies wrapped up a well-earned and historic win for Wigan.
