St Helens seal 17-16 Challenge Cup Semi Final win over Valkyrie

Lindsay Anfield’s side were just 90 seconds from making history in the first Women’s Challenge Cup Final to be held underneath the famous arch after a stunning 35-metre penalty from Tara Jane Stanley, but Faye Gaskin’s drop goal inside the final two minutes sealed a famous victory for the current holders.

St Helens will now vie for their third successive title with either Leeds Rhinos or Wigan Warriors at Wembley on August 12.

The encounter was one that ebbed and flowed from the first minute, with York and Saints trading blows throughout in what was a match that served as an outstanding advert for women’s rugby league.

But whilst the Valkyrie faced fellow Betfred Women’s Super League heavyweights Leeds Rhinos last weekend, St Helens were fresh from a break, with the difference in tiredness levels between the sides becoming evident in an, at times, laboured second half.

Nonetheless, York can be proud of their efforts, and are still in prime position to claim the Women’s Super League title.

Director of rugby Anfield named an unchanged line-up from last Sunday’s thrilling 12-12 draw with Leeds and was crucially able to call upon full-back Stanley, who had not trained after being the victim of a horrendous spear-like tackle by Keara Bennett in the dying embers of that tie.

York had won their previous encounter with St Helens 26-6 in April, but the Merseyside outfit were able to name a far stronger line-up today with impressive England captain Jodie Cunningham at its heart after her recovery from knee surgery last month.

RECAP: St Helens 17-16 York Valkyrie - Challenge Cup SF

St Helens started like a train and appeared to have shell-shocked the Valkyrie after opening the scoring inside three minutes.

A fantastic drive down the left edge brought them to within 20 metres of the York line, with second-rower Shona Hoyle first to the loose ball after a high kick was missed by both Stanley and Liv Wood.

Georgia Taylor was on target with the boot to fire her side into a six-point lead.

With big hits from both sides, injuries were expected, with Grace Field forced into the tunnel for stitches to a gash to her chin, and Saints’ Emily Rudge being bandaged up following a cut to her forehead.

St Helens though were guilty of loose passes as they aimed to spread the play to the wings, with Tamzin Renouf taking advantage.

Nobody was able to lay a hand on the pacy centre as she raced from her own 20-metre line to cross to the left of the posts for her 12th try of the season and follow up her brace against Saints earlier in the campaign, but Stanley’s kick cannoned off the post.

Tamzin Renouf scored York's first try of the game with an outstanding solo effort. (Image: Craig Hawkhead)

The sides began to trade penalties as they looked to gain a foothold, York penalised for a ball steal before Stanley was hit high after collecting Taylor’s kick on the last.

But it was the Valkyrie who were next to cross the whitewash with 24 minutes played to fire themselves into the lead for the first time.

Strong drives from Emma Kershaw and Rhiannion Marshall had brought York to within 20 metres of the St Helens line before a lovely show of hands saw the ball worked to Stanley, who provided a trademark step inside before running around the outside of the Saints defence and into the right corner.

However, again, she was not able to convert, seeing her effort fly wide of the posts.

As such, York’s lead lasted a mere six minutes, Cunningham playing in former Wigan centre Luci McColm down the left edge to dive across into the corner after her side had won a penalty for offside.

But the Valkyrie soon regrouped to take in a four-point advantage at the interval, captain Sinead Peach bursting through a gap in the middle of the Saints defence 15 metres out before strolling across the line, Stanley’s first conversion of the afternoon giving her side a 10-14 lead at the break.

However, for as clinical as they had been in the first half, York were wasteful in the second, repeatedly making errors in attacking field position.

The first chance was squandered less than a minute after the restart after they won a penalty on the 20-metre line, but Lacey Owen lost the ball whilst bearing down on the whitewash after a big hit from the next play.

It was instead Saints who saw momentum again swing in their favour eight minutes after the interval.

Having charged down a Stanley kick on York’s 30-metre line, Saints were perhaps fortuitous as Taylor’s short kick bounced off the advertising pads at the base of the posts and into the hands of England hooker Tara Jones to ground, Taylor giving her side a two-point advantage.

Chasing the game, the Valkyrie soon found their rhythm, with both sides trading set for set in the middle third of the pitch.

However, as tiredness crept in, they were guilty of unforced errors and were lucky not to have found themselves further behind when half-back Sade Rihari was penalised for reefing, but Hoyle could not hold onto a pass in her direction 10 metres from the line.

After restarting from halfway after a penalty for offside, Marshall saw the ball slip from her grasp less than five metres from the line in what had felt like a huge opportunity missed for York, but they were back on level terms less than two minutes later.

Saints were penalised for offside following a kick from Gaskin, with Stanley converting a sublime penalty from 35 metres to set up a thrilling finale.

Tara Jane Stanley converted superbly under pressure late on. (Image: SWPix.com)

But it proved to be late heartbreak for Anfield’s side, with a missed drop-goal giving St Helens the opportunity to attack downfield, Rudge’s drive to the 30-metre line freeing Gaskin to score the crucial drop goal for her side with a minute and a half left on the clock.

A gutting way for the Valkyrie to lose the chance to make history at Wembley. They will be seeking to avenge that defeat when they travel to the Totally Wicked Stadium to face St Helens in the Women’s Super League on Friday evening (5:30pm).

ST HELENS: Harris, Hook, Travis, McColm, Partington, Gaskin, Taylor, Crowl, Jones, Stott, Hoyle, Rudge, Cunningham.

INTERCHANGES: Williams, Whitfield, Sams, Birchall.

TRIES: Hoyle (3), McColm (30), Jones (48)

GOALS: Taylor 2/3, Gaskin 1/1

YORK VALKYRIE: Stanley, Hyde, Renouf, Owen, Kershaw, Rihari, Gale, Field, Peach, Staveley, Andrade, Wood, Bell.

INTERCHANGES: Taylor, Marshall, Sanderson, Akpa.

TRIES: Renouf (13), Stanley (24), Peach (35)

GOALS: Stanley 2/4

POINTS SEQUENCE: 4-0, 6-0, 6-4, 6-8, 10-8, 10-12, 10-14, 14-14, 16-14, 16-16, 17-16

HALF TIME: 10-14

YORK’S STAR WOMAN: Emma Kershaw. A couple of breaks and some outstanding goal-line defence from the winger under pressure.