Wigan Warriors boss Matt Peet recalls 'best feeling I've had' in Challenge Cup

The Wigan head coach enjoyed his first taste of glory in his debut season as the Warriors defeated Huddersfield Giants 16-14 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

But the 40-year-old holds special memories of the tie that saw them reach their first final in five years, knocking then-holders St Helens out of the prestigious competition at Elland Road with a 20-18 thriller.

“That win in the semi-final was the best feeling I’ve had,” Peet said.

“We’ve had some good days since then, but that was a standout moment and probably because we didn’t realise that we were going to have any success at all until that point.

“We’ve been lucky enough to build on top of that.

“That was probably the best moment. We hadn’t beaten St Helens at that point, we hadn’t been to a final at that point, everything was brand new, we were trying to build a new team and it was early in my role.

“It was a special moment.”

This weekend will see a rematch of last year’s semi-final clash between Wigan and Hull KR, with Brad Schneider kicking the winning drop-goal to send The Robins to Wembley in Golden Point.

Wigan have not played at the national stadium since 2017, while the last victory came in 2013.

And Peet is relishing the opportunity to create more memories for the club and its supporters with just 80 minutes separating them from a chance to extend their record to 21 victories in the Challenge Cup.

“It’s very exciting. It’s a great opportunity and these are the games you want to play in and coach in,” Peet continued.

“The Challenge Cup itself, there’s the history and the opportunity to create memories and create your own bit of history, it’s an exciting one.

“I’ve always thought that the beauty of the cup is that the town, the club and the supporters get to go down to London with it being a fantastic weekend to be a part of with so much history and tradition around it.”