Picking a Challenge Cup Final Dream Team from the summer era: Leeds Rhinos, St Helens and Wigan Warriors legends feature

After yesterday’s great Challenge Cup Final, we’re looking back on the recent history of the competition to pick a cup final dream team.

We’re glancing back at the summer era and the players who have dominated the Challenge Cup Finals since 1996 whether through the number of wins they’ve accumulated over time, some outstanding final performances that will last a life time or seismic tries which helped settle where the trophy ended up.

So, with that in mind, here’s our Challenge Cup Final dream team.

Fullback: Paul Wellens
Only two players have scooped up the Lance Todd in back-to-back finals in Super League history and one of them is Paul Wellens. A sharer of the award in 2007 as well as an outright winner in 2008, he was always a key part in the five finals he won with the Saints becoming one of the competitions most successful ever players. Not only did he produce brilliant all-round performances in these finals but he was able to conjure up big moments such as tries in the 2004 and 2007 finals.

Wingers: Tom Briscoe and Ryan Hall
Only three wingers in the Super League era have won the Lance Todd trophy and all three were Rhinos. Leroy Rivett – a scorer of four Wembley tries – is the unlucky one of the three to miss out. Ryan Hall edges ahead of him largely due to the near impossible nature of his first try in the 2014 final as he scored a brace and picked up the Man of the Match. A year later he played his part in another final win as his fellow winger Tom Briscoe stole the show with a record five tries including a length of the field effort. He picked up the Man of the Match that day but has also won two other finals for the Rhinos scoring in both 2014 and 2020.

Centres: Joel Tomkins and Kallum Watkins
Joel Tomkins will always be remembered for scoring one of the all-time great Wembley tries as a centre in 2011 as Wigan defeated Leeds in a great final. The move started with his brother Sam and was completed by a brilliant elusive run from the backrower turned centre. That day, he came up against a young Kallum Watkins making his Wembley debut. Despite being a youngster, he registered an assist and got another in 2014. Even more remarkable than that he notched four assists in the 2015 final. He’s also scored at Wembley in the past crossing for a brace in the 2012 final.

Halfbacks: Sean Long and Marc Sneyd
Two multi-time winners of the Lance Todd trophy feature in the halves. Sean Long has picked up the award on three separate occasions in 2001, 2004 and 2006. He scored in all five cup wins during his career losing just one final. Meanwhile, Marc Sneyd will always be remembered for ending Hull’s Wembley hoodoo in 2016 before repeating the feat a year later picking up back-to-back Lance Todd trophies.

Props: Adrian Morley and Jamie Peacock
Jamie Peacock won four Challenge Cup finals as a player scoring in the 2003 final. He was also quite exceptional in the 2015 final helping create Danny McGuire’s try, nearly crossing for a try himself only to be denied by a one-on-one strip which fell into the hands of Brett Delaney to score. He also had a hand in one of Tom Briscoe’s five tries showing great hands down the blindside. Another four time winner of the trophy is Adrian Morley. His first win came with the Rhinos back in 1999 before being a part of the Warrington team who won the trophy three times in four years. He spearheaded that side from prop and deserves his place in the team. Special mention to Jeff Lima though as the only prop to win the Lance Todd in the summer era.

Hooker: Kerion Cunningham
In the space of 12 years, Kerion Cunningham won seven Challenge Cups making him one of the tournament’s most successful players and the most successful player in the competition’s summer era. A final try scorer too, he always knew how to step up for the big occasions.

Second-Rowers: Paul Sculthorpe and Chris Joynt
Interestingly, the Lance Todd was an award that alluded Paul Sculthorpe’s glittering career. He won five finals with the Saints crossing for tries in the 2004 final win as well as the 2002 final defeat, the only Challenge Cup Final loss of his career. Even as he began to suffer with injuries towards the end of his career, he still always featured in the Saints Wembley wins bowing out with the trophy in 2008. Predominately a loose-forward, he did feature at second-row in the 2006 win over Huddersfield. A fellow Saint joins him in the side. Chris Joynt won four Challenge Cup Finals scoring in the 1997 win over Bradford. That day he lifted the trophy as vice-captain and repeated the feat again in 2001 as Saints skipper.

Loose-Forward: Kevin Sinfield
This may be seen as a little controversial. After all, along with teammate Rob Burrow Kevin Sinfield holds the record for the most final defeats losing in 2003, 2005, 2010, 2011 and 2012 before lifting the trophy in back-to-back years in 2014 and 2015. After the heartbreak of being left out of the 2000 final after being key to Leeds’ run to the decider, more heartache came in the shape of being blamed for the 2003 final defeat. If that wasn’t bad enough, he was exceptional in the 2005 final winning the Lance Todd trophy only to end up on the losing side. That performance coupled with his role in Leeds’ back-to-back successes is what sees him make the side as does the fact he holds the record for the most goals in final history as well as the most points in final history alongside Frano Botica.