Tom Briscoe has endured the highs and lows of the Challenge Cup in the past two years and he is targeting a repeat of last year’s success with Leeds by reaching a third consecutive Wembley final.
Briscoe was part of the Hull FC squad who lost 16-0 to Wigan in the 2013 final before scoring in Leeds’ first Challenge Cup success in 15 years when they beat Castleford at Wembley last August – and the England international is looking for a repeat after Friday’s semi-final against St Helens.
“It’d be pretty incredible to go back for a third year in a row,” Briscoe said. “But we’ve got a tough challenge against us to get there. The finals are the ultimate high and low in my career; playing at Wembley is a massive experience and it’s great to get there but the feeling of losing and walking up all those steps to collect the silver medal is heartbreaking.
“You just feel like you don’t want to be there and you have to watch the other team celebrate in front of you – it’s awful. But thankfully last season I got the chance to taste success with this great squad, and that was the complete opposite and without doubt the highlight of my career so far. The contrast is incredible.”
Leeds’ success, by a 23-10 margin, was their first after six consecutive defeats in the final and Briscoe admits he is relishing the big-game atmosphere that awaits at Halliwell Jones Stadium – while also dreaming of another return to the national stadium. “These semi-finals and big games are the ones you want to play in and they’re the games that influenced my decision to come and play for Leeds. Everyone grew up watching the Challenge Cup on television as a youngster; it’s a competition with such history and tradition and everyone wants to be part of the big games. I’m no different, and I’m hoping for a repeat of last year.
“The club place plenty of importance on the Challenge Cup; they came close so many times and lost out in the final as everyone knows. But this group is a special one and hopefully we’ll do it again this year and make more history and win it two years in a row after so many near misses.”
If Briscoe’s form is directly comparable to Leeds’ chances, they will certainly be optimistic. The 25-year-old marked his return after four months out with a hat-trick against Catalans Dragons last weekend and he admitted it was a relief to get back playing. “I would have liked to have played the previous week but unfortunately I didn’t pass the medical tests required to get out there. But I certainly needed to get one game out of the way ahead of such a huge semi-final.
“I’m fit again now and raring to go; I seemed to slot straight back in and do really well. It’s great to be back playing and my first game back couldn’t have gone much better.”
St Helens will be looking to end an unusually long absence from the final. They have not reached Wembley since their last triumph in 2008 and the chairman, Eamonn McManus, admits the club need to break that run. “We won it three years on the row [2006, 2007 and 2008] and haven’t been back since, and we’re desperate to close that chapter this year,” he said.
“Seven years is a long time between drinks for a club like us not to get to Wembley, and you can sense the anticipation and excitement from the people of St Helens. Some of my earliest memories involve going to Wembley or big venues to watch St Helens v Leeds, and it’s something that has continued on throughout the decades: it’s a great rivalry.”
Hull KR are set to go into their semi-final against Warrington on Saturday with a new half-back pairing. The scrum-half Albert Kelly has been recalled after he missed last week’s game at St Helens with a leg injury and is set to be paired with Dane Chisholm, who made his debut at Langtree Park. The wing Ken Sio and second row Kevin Larroyer also return for the trip to Headingley, with Greg Burke making way.
Warrington have called up Rhys Evans, who has been out since February with a shoulder injury, and Gary Wheeler in place of the injured Matty Russell. Joe Philbin and Sam Wilde are contesting the second-row vacancy caused by Ben Westwood’s suspension.
