Watch highlights as Catalans Dragons pull off one of Wembley's biggest upsets to beat Warrington Wolves 20-14 and win their first Challenge Cup - and the first by a non-English team.

MATCH REPORT: Catalans beat Warrington 20-14 to win first trophy

Available to UK users only.</s>All eyes are on Wembley for the 2018 Challenge Cup final.

Catalans Dragons take on Warrington Wolves in what promises to be another incredible spectacle.

The Dragons can make history at Wembley on Saturday and become the first non-English team to win the competition.

They beat St Helens 35-16 in the semi-final while Warrington were comfortable winners over Leeds Rhinos earlier this month.

Warrington are eight-time winners, although their last success came back in 2012.

Who will emerge victorious and lift the famous trophy this time?

You can follow all the build-up, action and reaction from the Challenge Cup final below.</s>If Wembley did loyalty cards, then Warrington Wolves would have racked up a very decent number of points.

Including their 2009 success, the Wire have been to the national stadium four times and won three finals, and this season's showpiece will make it five appearances in the past 10 years.

Unlike their opponents Catalans Dragons, who have the romantic charm of Gallic underdogs and the popular vote from neutrals, Warrington are the big bad Wolves who are used to the big occasion.

BBC Sport looks at the stories behind the Wire's Challenge Cup final appearance.

From early starts to leading out the team

Head coach Steve Price has the opportunity to ensure a place in Warrington folklore in his first season at the club.

The 39-year-old arrived at the end of last season to pick up their reins from club legend Tony Smith - who had turned the club from perennial strugglers to a major contender for Grand Final and Challenge Cup prizes.

Like his fellow Australian, Price has enjoyed a cup run in his maiden campaign, and like many from the southern hemisphere, Wembley and the Challenge Cup have a big place in his life.

"It's one of the biggest honours to play for the Challenge Cup at Wembley," he told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"I've been to Wembley to see Arsenal play Manchester City in the Community Shield, but this will be my first Challenge Cup.

"I've watched it on a number of occasions though, getting up early with the old man to watch those great Challenge Cup finals.

"Given the opportunity on Saturday, hopefully we can make it a memorable one."

No quirky headlines are needed for this man, the vastly-experienced veteran Ben Westwood, who will grace the final at the ripe age of 37.

The evergreen back-rower has been a regular fixture this season, racking up his 500th career appearance and scoring two tries in 27 games.

Westwood will feature in his fifth final on Saturday if selected - he has been a Wembley ever-present in his time at the Halliwell Jones.

However, he still has a way to go to surpass the oldest finalist. Gus Risman was 41 when he led Workington Town to victory in the 1952 final.

Well, in this part of the world, they do.

Enter Tom Lineham. The man known as the 'Flying Pig' has scorched his way through Super League and the Challenge Cup, bringing home the bacon for Warrington with 19 tries in 28 games.

Saturday's game will be a huge occasion for the 25-year-old, who missed the 2013 final while at Hull FC through injury having helped the Airlie Birds through their semi-final and was then dropped by the Wolves before their 2016 final defeat.

His performance in the semi-final win over Leeds included a 90-metre blast downfield to score from his own end, and surely only another cruel injury will deny him a Wembley appearance.

Lineham is not the only extremely prolific winger in the ranks. England international Josh Charnley takes up a spot on the other flank.

The speedy wideman has already scored 22 tries in 20 games since his mid-season move from rugby union club Sale, and has already won two Challenge Cups in his time at Wigan.

Wembley isn't just special for players, it is a huge event for everyone in the family.

Stefan Ratchford has been to Wembley twice, winning once, and is preparing for another trip with the nearest and dearest in tow.

"This is the third trip for my youngest," Ratchford told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"They understand where we're going but I don't know if they understand the occasion - maybe my eldest will have more of a grasp of it this year.

"In game week, they leave me be towards the back end of the week towards game day, but they're really good.

"It's a great experience and a great day out for the families but hopefully it will be better with the right result."

There are 11 Warrington players with Wembley experience - although not everyone has fond memories, as half-back Kevin Brown can testify.

Brown, 33, has been to the national stadium twice before with Wigan and Huddersfield, and is yet to pick up a winner's medal. Will it be third time lucky?

Daryl Clark, 25, has also been to Wembley twice with Castleford and Warrington - without success - while Jack Hughes and brothers George and Toby King also possess only runners-up medals.</s>LONDON — The French anthem rang out around Wembley Stadium after Catalans Dragons became the first non-British winners of rugby league’s Challenge Cup on Saturday.

The Perpignan-based team beat Warrington 20-14 in only its second appearance in the final of the knockout competition organized by England’s Rugby Football League. Clubs from Wales, Scotland, Canada and France also enter.

Captain Remi Casty hopes the Dragons winning makes “young kids want to be professional to create more good players in France and a better competition over there.”

The Dragons are the only team from outside northern England playing in the Super League and only just avoided relegation in 2017.

The Challenge Cup was launched in season 1896-97.</s>It was an historic afternoon in Wembley Stadium as Catalans Dragons won their first Challenge Cup with a 20-14 win over seven-time winners and favourites Warrington Wolves, making them the first non-English winners.

Coached by former England coach Steve McNamara, Dragons were the better team for the first 55 minutes maintaining good discipline and high tempo while undermining Warrington’s composure.

Catalans Dragons full-back Tony Gigot became the first ever French winner of the prestigious Lance Todd Trophy, the Challenge Cup man of the match award. The 27 year-old was imperious in both attack and defence.

The victory will be considered as a major boost for the sport of rugby league in France, which had suffered at the hands of politics. The 13-man code bloomed in the 1930s as French rugby fans and players became disenchanted with high levels of ill-discipline in union.

However, during the Second World War, the Vichy government banned rugby league as many officials had backed union. Despite the French league making a comeback in the 1950s and 1960s, it missed out on television coverage and has lagged behind union.</s>IN 2014, in terms of his rugby league, almost everything went right for Daryl Clark.

The Castleford Tigers hooker not only won Man of Steel, but also claimed Super League’s Young Player of the Year, earned Dream Team recognition for the first time, scored at Wembley, made his England debut and earned a big-money move to Warrington Wolves, too.

He certainly fitted in a lot. But there is that ‘almost’ caveat; Clark, just 21 at the time, could not quite inspire his home-town club to success in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup final.

Castleford, in the early days of Daryl Powell’s reign, were eventually undone by Leeds Rhinos, their fierce rivals whose ‘golden generation’ at last ended their hoodoo in the competition by prevailing 23-10.

Four years on, Clark – having also lost to Hull FC in the 2016 affair – hopes finally to correct his personal anomaly by helping favourites Warrington defeat Catalans Dragons in today’s latest Wembley final.

Recollecting his previous Challenge Cup finals to The Yorkshire Post, he said: “I remember it being a great experience in ’14 even though we lost.

“I’d never experienced anything like that – Wembley – before. I was pretty disappointed as I don’t think we were ever really in the game.

“But it comes and goes so quickly. You have got to enjoy the moment, but at the same time not get caught up in all the emotion, which does happen to a lot.

“I know I’ve been guilty of that in the past; that was my first final. I didn’t know what to expect.

“But now I’ve been there a couple of times I know what it feels like and I know what it feels like to lose. Hopefully those previous two finals will hold me in good stead come Saturday.

“It’d be huge if we can do it at Wembley this time – and I don’t have to walk up those steps as a runner-up again.”

One of the reasons Castleford never made their mark was due to the Leeds tactics of nullifying the ball-carrying potential of robust Australian winger Justin Carney.

“Justin Carney was playing really well at the time for us so they just kept kicking the ball into touch,” recalled Clark.

“It slowed us down, we kept having to start with scrums, they kept it away from Justin and it was pretty smart.

“It made for a boring game, but they got the win and that’s all they were bothered about.

“With Catalans they’re a big forward unit and I’m sure they’ll come at us down the middle just like they did against St Helens in that semi.

“But they’re pretty similar to how we play and I can see it being an interesting battle.”

Just as interesting will be the battle of Clark, who is most bookmakers’ favourite to win the prestigious Lance Todd Trophy as man of the match, with Catalans hooker Micky McIlorum.

While the Warrington star is all guile and grace, his rival is more renowned for his aggressive, no-nonsense approach, which acts as such a fillip for his colleagues.

“Looking at that semi against Saints he seems to be back to his best this year,” said Clark about the former England hooker who switched from Wigan to Perpignan ahead of this campaign.

“He is another dangerous player in their ranks. We need to be smart with him. We know what he can do and he is a threat.

“Steve McNamara seems to have turned Catalans around really well.

“They’ve just beaten the best team in the competition and we had a 22-22 draw with them in July. We won’t count that result the other week; that was completely different.”

Catalans lost 56-6 at Warrington a fortnight ago, but having secured their Super League safety by edging them into eighth spot at the split, head coach McNamara opted essentially to write-off the Super 8s.

He rested seven players for that fixture in Cheshire and did similar when Les Dracs hosted Wigan a week ago, subsequently losing 35-6.

Understandably the former England coach has opted to put all his eggs in this Wembley basket.

He is right to do so as Catalans – whose only other final appearance was a 2007 loss to St Helens – must perform at their optimum level if they are going to win the first trophy of their 18-year existence.

Furthermore any success today would also be the first time a French club has won the Challenge Cup; it is a glorious chance to give the sport of rugby league a massive lift in France.

Stunning Super League leaders Saints in that shock semi-final defeat they were top-class and they now require a performance of similar ilk.

However, Warrington – also chasing a Grand Final – have their own reasons for wanting to make their mark this afternoon.

Aside from Clark’s story there are plenty of others, like that of Kevin Brown, the veteran former England stand-off who lost the final with Huddersfield against Wolves in 2009.

Clark, though, knows Warrington should have prospered two years ago.

“That was a pretty tough one to take,” he said, about the defeat to Hull. “We were 10-0 up with 20 minutes to go and lost 12-10.

“Then there was that Ben Currie chance at the death where nine times out of 10 he dots the ball down. It was a different experience to ’14; this time around we had a great chance of winning only to throw it away. ”

Coincidentally it was McNamara who gave Clark his England debut in 2014.

Asked what he was like as a coach, he said: “It’s pretty tough going just off the England experience. You’re only there three or four weeks and don’t work too much on too many things as there isn’t time. But he’s definitely done well with Catalans.

“In 2014 I was never expecting Man of Steel so to win that, reach a first Challenge Cup final and get that England debut, it was the best year I’ve had up to pres’.

“Even though we lost at Wembley we finished fourth in Super League, which, overall, was a pretty good season for Cas’ if you looked at the year before and the year before that.

“But now I’m back at Wembley and, hopefully, it’ll be third time lucky.”</s>Catalans Dragons became the first overseas winners of rugby league’s Challenge Cup after repelling a second-half fightback from Warrington Wolves to win their first major trophy in their short history.

The sport’s most prestigious trophy has not left England since it was first contested all the way back in 1897 but it will return to Perpignan this weekend with Catalans after a thrilling Wembley final only 12 years since the Dragons were formed.

Catalans were almost relegated from Super League a year ago, and were only able to preserve their Super League status via the Million Pound Game. There has since been a renaissance in the south of France under the stewardship of the former England coach, Steve McNamara, and roared on by Catalonians and neutrals alike, they created a slice of genuine cup history.

McNamara has suffered defeat at Wembley as a spectator, a player and a coach, but there would no repeat here. The Dragons were never behind all afternoon, and though they led by as many as 14 points at one stage, they were made to fight every step of the way for victory amidst a valiant comeback attempt from Warrington which fell just short.

By half-time they were 14-6 ahead following a near-faultless 40-minute display. The outstanding Lewis Tierney, now a Wembley winner like his father Jason Robinson, put them ahead before Ben Garcia scored from close-range.

Warrington replied via Ben Murdoch-Masila’s effort, but it was hard to argue with Catalans’ dominance when Brayden Wiliame extended their lead to 14 points shortly after the break, Josh Drinkwater continuing his perfect record from the kicking tee.

As Catalans began to tire in the final quarter, Warrington mounted a comeback which would have equalled the greatest in cup final history had it been successful. George King pounced on a rare Catalans error before Tyrone Roberts kicked two goals and though there were further close calls for the Dragons, they held on for that piece rugby league history.</s>Catalans Dragons take on Warrington Wolves at Wembley Stadium as the two battle it out for the Challenge Cup trophy.

There will be a new name on the silverware in 2018 as one of the sides prepare to take over as champions from Hull FC, who won the title in 2016 and 2017.

We'll hear from both coaches, captains as well as learn the line-ups and talking points of the showpiece finale, which kicks off at 3pm on Saturday.

Steve McNamara has polarised opinions on the terraces throughout his coaching career, but few can deny the Hull-born boss his moment of glory.

Leading the Catalans out at Wembley in the Challenge Cup final, the 46-year-old has completed a grand turnaround of Les Dracs to give themselves a fighting chance of producing a shock against Warrington Wolves in the capital.

A year ago, the Perpignan outfit were in the midst of a survival battle. Even earlier this term, McNamara could have been forgiven for being a little nervous about his position at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.

But the faith shown in him by outspoken Catalans head honcho Bernard Guasch – and his battle-hardened players – means the Dragons have the opportunity to change rugby league in France forever with a surprise win and be the successors of the competition after his hometown club, Hull FC.

“None whatsoever,” McNamara, who returned to Super League 14 months ago from a three-year stint in the NRL, replied if he had any fears about losing his job despite sitting in the bottom four in March.

“Bernard was understanding. He fully understood the issues and the problems that we had and how we were trying to implement change.

“But he did remind me that once all those changes had been made and it was my personnel and it was my systems in place, it would be my balls on the line then, as he put it. We had a laugh and I agreed completely because that’s how it should be.

“It would be massive for the club first and foremost for the effort everybody has put in.

“It would be great for the area. The trophy has been in my home town Hull for the last two years and has been round the schools, businesses and colleges.

“To be able to promote the game with a trophy like that would give this area a huge lift because it is different, a French team in an English-based competition, so I think it would help the game massively.”

Casty keen to feed off of atmosphere

Captain Remi Casty, the only survivor from the 2007 side who finished runners-up at the national stadium, knows what impact a Cup triumph could have in the rugby-mad city.

“Not just for Perpignan or the region, but for French rugby league it would mean a lot,” he said. “They are all behind us, they want us to come back with the trophy.

“You can feel the atmosphere and we have to feed off them.”

If there is pressure on the Dragons to lift the first silverware in their 12-year history, it is nothing compared to the stress they experienced last September when they had to win their last match of the season to preserve their Super League status.

Casty said: “Last year there was more pressure on us with the Million-Pound Game. It was very suffocating to be part of that game. Everyone is positive and there is a lot of pressure because you are in the final but it’s a good pressure, having to win rather than not lose as in the Million-Pound Game.”

Despite the success at reaching the final, this is by no means the peak for McNamara or the Dragons. “We had to show some patience, brought some really good staff in, and the changes we are making are slowly starting to come though,” he added.

“But we’re a long way off being finished. We’ve got a long way to go as a club to establish ourselves amongst the elite rugby league teams in our competition.”

Chris Hill says the abuse hurled at him and his family during Warrington’s fall from grace in 2017 will be worth it when he leads his team out at Wembley.

Twelve months ago, the Wolves were battling for survival in Super League but normal service has been restored under new coach Steve Price as they prepare to face Catalans Dragons in the Challenge Cup final.

They won the Cup three times in the first four years of Tony Smith's tenure but it all went wrong for the club last year and Hill says the fans began to turn on the team.

“Turning up to training was hard because we weren’t winning,” said the Warrington captain. “But sometimes you have to have those years to appreciate the other years and get better and make changes. And that’s what we did as a club.

“Being in the bottom four was a shock. We went though it and you could probably say it changed people’s mind-sets.

“The lads didn’t want to be in it this year. It teaches you lessons as well, how close you can actually be to being out of a job.

“It makes you stronger. It was hard as a family, people just think of you but you’ve still got a mum and dad who have to sit there and take the flak and people shouting at their son. It’s hard for your missus sitting there with the kids.

“The abuse is natural. At the end of the day, the fans pay their money and they’ve got their say. I think it makes you stronger.”

Hill says most of the credit for the turnaround is due to the strict regime of Price, who impressed the club’s England contingent when he took time out to meet them during last year’s World Cup.

“The discipline under Steve is key to what he's brought,” he said. “And, it’s not just on the field stuff, it’s off the field too, like turning up on time for videos,

training, rehab, physio, promos, something as small as that, and it’s about enjoying it, having a smile on your face while you’re doing it. At the end of the day, you don’t do this forever. You’ve got to enjoy it because it’s the real world out there.

“These are the games you play rugby league for. This is why you do six o’clock in the morning in January when it’s raining and still dark and you’re rolling around in mud or climbing hills.”

Warrington are clear favourites to win the trophy for the ninth time but Hill was full of respect for the Catalans even before their stunning semi-final destruction of St Helens and he is expecting a close contest.

“I think I’ve tipped them every year to do well in Super League. It was only a matter of time, with the imports they bring in and the good French lads they have.”

The critics were queuing up to call for McNamara’s head after the Dragons won just three of their opening 13 Super League matches, this after needing to win the Million Pound Game last September to preserve their top-flight status. But owner Bernard Guasch kept his nerve and his faith in the former England boss and his loyalty has been repaid handsomely as he gets to lead his club out at Wembley.

McNamara needed to eradicate deep-rooted problems in the culture of the Catalans club and, although for a long time he looked to be fighting a losing cause, their Challenge Cup run suggests he is well on the way to winning the battle.

A nation throws its support behind the Catalans

Catalonia is a fiercely partisan region whose calls for independence threatened to cause major ructions but the Dragons’ run to Wembley appears to have united the country. President Emmanuel Macron has sent a good-luck message to Guasch’s team and even their arch rivals, Perpignan rugby union club, have agreed to screen the final in their clubhouse in an unprecedented example of entente cordiale.

French rugby league has endured some lean periods, particularly during the time of the Vichy government, but a victory at Wembley would undoubtedly provide a massive boost for the downtrodden code across the Channel.

Will nerves get the better of the Dragons?

Eleven of Warrington’s 19-man squad have played at Wembley, most of them as recently as 2016, so they will know what to expect from arguably the most memorable occasion in the rugby league calendar.

On the other hand, just three of the Catalans players have previous Challenge Cup final experience and there must be concern that the occasion will get the better of them. However, there were few signs of nerves when McNamara’s men produced a stunning performance to knock out hot favourites St Helens in front of a sell-out 28,000 crowd at Bolton earlier this month.

Australian Tony Smith guided Warrington to Challenge Cup final glory in his first season as head coach and his fellow countryman Steve Price has the chance to emulate him.

A bottom-four finish in Super League in 2017 cost Smith his job and Price did not have the best of starts as the Wolves lost four of their first six matches but the former St George Illawarra boss gradually turned the under-performing team into potential trophy winners and they are also handily placed for a tilt at Old Trafford.

Catalans: Dragons forward Mickael Goudemand is set for a dramatic call-up for the Challenge Cup final against Warrington in what would be only his sixth senior appearance.

The 22-year-old Avignon-born back rower is standing by to replace veteran forward Louis Anderson, who damaged a calf in last Saturday's 35-6 Super League defeat by Wigan. Anderson, who won the cup during his time at Warrington, was only in the Dragons team in place of the suspended Greg Bird.

"Louis has a very slight calf injury from last week but Wembley is not the place to be if you're not 100 per cent fit," Catalans coach Steve McNamara said at the club's captain's run at Wembley.

"We'll see how Louis pulls through tonight after training and make a decision. We won't risk anybody at Wembley who is not right. Mickael Goudemand, who would come in to replace him, is in great form. He's a great young man."

Goudemand made eight appearances for Dewsbury in the Championship in 2017 and scored two tries on his Catalans debut in their 56-10 cup sixth-round win over Whitehaven in May. He was also in the France team that lost 40-6 to England in Avignon in October 2016.

The Dragons are looking to make history by becoming the first non-British team to win the cup but McNamara says he is treating the occasion as a normal game and therefore will not be following the tradition of bringing in a personality to make the shirt presentation.

"We decided not to," McNamara said. "We've fought our own way out of the tough situations we've been in this year and it's about the playing group.

"We'll have a little meet tonight and reflect on a couple of things."

Warrington: Centre Toby King has kept his place in the Wolves team for the Challenge Cup final against Catalans Dragons at Wembley.

The 22-year-old has fought off competition from veteran three-quarter Ryan Atkins, who has recovered from a torn bicep and will be the Wolves 18th man at Wembley, according to coach Steve Price.

"He's done remarkably well to come back on such a short time-frame from a torn bicep," Price said at the club's captain's run. "It's credit to Ryan, who is a fast healer, and our medical staff to turn him around in such a short amount of time.

"He certainly came into contention, it was a tough one, and hopefully we can use his experience around the boys in the next 24 hours."

King, whose older brother George will be a replacement for suspended forward Sitaleki Akauola, has deputised for Atkins in each of the last eight matches, including the semi-final win over Leeds.

Price added: "Toby is only a young fella but he's been doing some really good things of late. If you look back at our semi-final against Leeds, I thought he was one of the top three players on the park that day. We need him to stand up."

Hooker or half-back Morgan Smith is the other player left out of Price's initial 19-man squad.

It's completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and what’s on information. You can download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store, or get the Android version from Google Play.</s>Catalans Dragons’ Challenge Cup victory has been heralded as a turning point for not just French rugby league but the entire code. The ­underdogs’ win over Warrington Wolves at Wembley on Saturday was the first time in the competition’s 122-year history that a non-English side had claimed the silverware.

At a time when rugby league is looking to expand, the crowd of just over 50,000, the lowest at a ­Challenge Cup final for 73 years – because of the high cost of travel for Catalans fans – could be viewed as a worthwhile sacrifice considering the potential the result has to open up the French market.

Catalans, under the guidance of former England coach Steve ­McNamara, may have received a good-luck message from French president Emmanuel Macron telling them “the whole of France is behind you”, but there was a time when politics almost wiped out the sport in France.

In the 1930s, rugby league blossomed in France because of players and fans’ disquiet with the high ­levels of ill-discipline in union.

However, when the Nazi-backed Vichy government came to power in 1940, rugby league was banned because of the influence of high-level supporters of union in the regime. League pitches and grounds were confiscated and given to rugby union clubs.</s>One of the greatest tales in rugby league history was written at Wembley with all three of the above featuring in abundance as Catalans Dragons emerged victorious from a brutal battle with Warrington Wolves to become the first non-English side to lift the Challenge Cup.

Renaissance for a sport that has almost died in France on a number of occasions since union-loving Nazi sympathising members of the Vichy government in World War Two banned it.

Redemption for Dragons coach Steve McNamara, whose last appearance under the arch saw his England side cruelly dumped out of the World Cup semi-finals with a last-minute New Zealand try.

Resistance from the brave, bloodied underdogs who somehow withstood a barrage of late Warrington pressure in a tumultuous war of attrition to come out 20-14 victors and pick up the first silverware in their 12-year history.

That a crowd of just 50,672 was there to see it – the smallest for a Challenge Cup Final at Wembley since 1937 – was a tragedy.

Even that figure seemed generous, with swathes of red empty red seats providing a sad backdrop to a momentous day. Something must be done to inject life into this showcase event.

The product deserves a bigger audience. But enough of the gloom. This was a wonderful afternoon for all of those who travelled here from outside of Cheshire.

Last year, Catalans were 90 minutes from Super League relegation. Here, thanks to their Herculean pack and the sublime craft of man-of-the-match full-back Tony Gigot, they were in utopia.

Tries from Lewis Tierney, Ben Garcia and Brayden Williame, and four goals from the immaculate boot of Josh Drinkwater, with a solitary Ben Murdoch-Masila try and Tyrone Roberts conversion in response, appeared to have them home and hosed at 20-6.

But a try from the Wolves’ George King on 56 minutes and two more goals from Roberts set up a frantic finale. The Dragons, seemingly out on their feet, hung on.

‘It was incredible for us,’ said a suitably dishevelled McNamara, who insisted he had no point to prove after losing the England job in 2015.

‘We played really well for 55 minutes then nearly blew it.’

The most popular Yorkshireman in France also hailed the 5,000 or so who, at no small cost, managed to cross the Channel.

‘These people have made such a huge effort to come here,’ he said.

‘I'm pleased for them and our owners and I'm over the moon. It’s a bit surreal, to be honest.’

The magnitude of the achievement, and the distance travelled by his own squad in 12 months, was not lost on the coach.

‘They deserve it,’ he said. ‘They've been through so much.’

The Wolves hammered at the door late on but could not find a way through. Their day was encapsulated when winger Tom Lineham, presented with a rare sight of the line, inexplicably dived about five yards too soon.

The bone dry turf stopped him well short and he was unceremoniously bundled into touch. Lineham has a mannequin he calls Cynthia which he stands in his bedroom window to scare his neighbours.

It might not be the only dummy in the house. It was no laughing matter for Warrington’s first year coach Steve Price, who himself has turned around a club that flirted with relegation last year.

‘I thought they were the better team. They came with a game plan and had a lot of energy. We did well to come back into it and had our chances but it wasn’t to be. They were gallant. It’s gut wrenching to lose a final.’

So England invents the game and France wins the big prize. Where else have we seen that this summer?
In the Rugby League, the Catalans Dragons beat the Warrington Wolves in the 2018 Challenge Cup Final. It is the first time a team that is not from Northern England has won the competition.