Leeds Rhinos 40 Warrington Wolves 0: Victory sets up Challenge Cup semi-final with York City Knights
LEEDS RHINOS will face York City Knights in the semi-finals of the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup.
The last-four ties will be played as a double-header at Warrington’s HJ Stadium on Sunday, April 24.
The final is a curtain-raiser to the men’s semi-finals at Elland Road on Saturday, May 7.
Leeds secured their place with a 40-0 victory over Warrington Wolves at Weetwood Sports Park, while York defeated Oulton Raidettes 92-2.
It took Rhinos, who won the Cup in 2018 and 2019, almost a quarter of the game to break Warrington’s defence, but they scored three tries in seven minutes to open a 16-0 lead at the interval.
Georgia Roche opened the scoring off a break by Hannah Butcher.
Sam Hulme landed the first of her four conversions and Rhinos struck again moments later when Aimee Staveley sent Caitlin Beevers over and that was followed by a touchdown for Chloe Kerrigan.
Fran Goldthorp took advantage of a Warrington error to scored Leeds’ fourth try soon after half-time and was then involved in the build-up to a touchdown for Hulme which put the game out of the visitors’ reach.
Substitute Orla McCallion and winger Sophie Nuttall went over either side of the hour mark and Hulme completed the scoring with her second try 14 minutes from time.
After wins over Super League teams Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity, the Cup adventure came to an end for community club Oulton who found last year’s runners-up York too strong.
Oulton who play in the Women’s Championship managed to avoid a whitewash when Caitlin Casey booted a penalty 10 minutes from time, to make it 80-2.
Tara-Jane Stanley scored four tries and nine goals for York, Savannah Andrade, Grace Field and Ash Hyde each bagged a brace and Rhiannion Marshall, Olivia Wood, Hollie Dodd, Sinead Peach, Tamzin Renouf, Emma Kershaw and Olivia Gale also touched down.
Olivia Whitehead kicked four goals.