Wigan make Leeds pay as Barrett pulls the strings

Wigan looked out on their feet at the finish but they would have tackled a juggernaut to stop Leeds, coached by Tony Smith, Noble's successor as RFL supremo, from getting over their line in a frenzied finale.

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Noble said: "My players bent their backs and showed a lot of desire.We hardly saw the ball in the last 20 minutes and invited Leeds back into the tie. Trent Barrett is so important to this Wigan team but he was not on his own today. It was a 17-man dig."

Barrett, Wigan's former Australia Test halfback, won the Man of the Match' champagne and promptly handed it to one of Wigan's ecstatic travelling fans.

Goal-kicker Pat Richards was another hero in Noble's eyes, as much for the length he reached with his goal-line drop-outs as his five successful place kicks.

In the end, his two second- half penalties proved the difference.

So Wigan, the Challenge Cup kings of the Eighties and early Nineties, could be on their way to Wembley again and the first final to be played at the famous theatre of sport since Leeds beat London Broncos in 1999.

This was Wigan's third successive win at Headingley, their last a month ago when they punished an error by Great Britain centre Keith Senior to snatch a winning try with only second left.

On this occasion,Wigan had to soak up everything Leeds threw at them in the final quarter after Brent Webb's second try of the game had narrowed the gap to four points.

Frankly, Leeds were not good enough. They may be setting the pace in Super League but they were as much to blame as Wigan for the demolition of their Wembley dream.

Coach Smith was magnanimous in defeat. He said: Wigan thoroughly deserved their win. They were outstanding in defence.

The game is about taking opportunities and we didn't. We were also off the boil, particularly in the first half, and there are no second chances in this competition.'

Another key figure in Wigan's triumph was former Leeds winger Mark Calderwood who scored a vital secondhalf try and also denied Jamie Jones- Buchanan a last-gasp score.

Leeds,who started the tie as 5-2 second favourites for the Carnegie Challenge Cup,welcomed back an entire front row after injury, hooker Matt Diskin and props Jamie Peacock and Ryan Bailey. A Wigan error helped Leeds into an early lead.

Sean O'Loughlin was wrestled into touch and Leeds got Clinton Toopi over the line in the resultant set. But Wigan shrugged off the setback and Barrett cut through the Leeds defence for Bryan Fletcher to send full-back Chris Ashton in for the try.

Calderwood should have stretched Wigan's advantage but lost the chance when he cut inside and it was left to O'Loughlin to score with a diagonal run off Barrett's perfectly-timed pass.

Just when Wigan were threatening to take control, they spoiled their good work by conceding three successive penalties and Leeds levelled at 12-12 with a try from brilliant Kiwi full-back Webb.

There should have been more tries before the break but for a series of mistakes which continued after the restart.

Leeds prop Jamie Thackray twice conceded penalties which gave Richards four easy points and Wigan began to scent victory when Ashton's fine weaving run and Barrett's pass, although suspiciously forward,put Calderwood in on the right.

Richards converted that, too, and Wigan had opened up a 10-point gap.

Leeds knew they had to score next and cranked up some relentless pressure in front of the mass of Wigan fans.

Two minutes into the final quarter they got their reward, Webb spinning and twisting out of a double tackle to get the ball down. Sinfield's conversion made it 18-22 — but that was how it stayed.