Denis Betts' simple message as Wigan Warriors boss previews Leeds Rhinos semi-final clash

The Warriors are just 80 minutes away from reaching the Challenge Cup final and making an appearance at Wembley for the first time.

But Betts isn’t getting carried away. It is all about keeping things simple for the Warriors boss.

“It’s not rocket science,” Betts smiled. “We’ve got a young group, but we’ve also got girls with that experience like Meg (Williams), she was there at St Helens last year in a similar environment, she’s played in big games.

“It’s about making sure your preparation is right, you need to understand the anxiety is excitement as well, they will both feel exactly the same way, and how you deal with that when you walk onto the pitch but that comes down to our training and our purpose within the team so if you know your role and what’s expected of you, then it becomes a little bit easier.

“I think that’s what we’ve been trying to do throughout pre-season, that everyone understands their role and has an understanding of what they contribute to the team, but they just have to do it better.”

Wigan haven’t won against Leeds in the last 12 meetings, with the 2018 Super League Grand Final marking the last time the Warriors overcame the Rhinos.

But Wigan head into the semi-finals in fine form, having eased past Barrow Raiders and London Broncos in the group stages, as well as hammering Cardiff Demons in the quarter-finals, racking up an aggregate score of 224-0 in their first three games of 2025.

But Betts knows his side will need to be at their best to book their spot at Wembley.

“Leeds have conceded some points, but they’ve won their games, they’ve bloodied a lot of girls in there, and they’ve got girls who will step up,” he said.

“There’s a group of girls in there that are probably a little bit fearless because of their age and their lack of experience, but that gives them the fear of the unknown; they don’t really care about that, they are just going to go out there and play.

“There are a lot of talented girls in the Leeds side, so we know we’ve got to be good to be able to compete.”

Betts is proud of how his team have reached the semi-finals, and wants them to just play the game, not the occasion, at the LNER Community Stadium in York on Saturday.

“We’ve turned a couple of corners over the last year and a half since I’ve been here, and it’s understanding what this club is and your purpose within this group and the expectations we spoke about, what being a Wigan player leads to,” Betts added.

“I’m excited for the girls because they’ve worked so hard and these are the things that we’ve talked about, these are the aspirations we’ve talked about as a group and as individuals, so they’re excited and we’re lucky in the sense we’ve got such a great management platform here through Wayne Joyce (chief operating officer), Kris Radlinski (chief executive) and Dr Chris Brookes (chairman).

“We’ve got things that people understand that the girls are doing well as well, so it makes them feel like this is really important and special, and that’s what being part of this club is as well. There are lots of good people in it that want the best of you, so the girls are excited and so am I, I want to see them play in a game against somebody that can be a test and see where we are from our pre-season.”