Wakefield Trinity apologise after floodlight failure in Challenge Cup win v Leeds Rhinos

The lights went out just six minutes into the fourth round tie, which kicked off at 8pm. Referee Jack Smith took the players off the field until power was restored and the match was completed without any more alarms.

Trinity revealed said the outage was due to an unforeseen and isolated cable fault. A statement released after the final whistle said: “Wakefield Trinity can confirm that during our match against Leeds Rhinos there was a temporary issue affecting part of the floodlighting system at the stadium.

“Initial indications suggest the cause was an isolated cable fault, which was entirely unforeseen. Prior to kick-off, all standard pre-game safety and operational checks were completed and no issues with the floodlighting system were identified at that time.

“Our stadium operations team worked quickly with onsite engineers to investigate the fault and the issue was identified and addressed. We will undergo further testing to confirm the issue has been completely rectified ahead of our next game on Friday, March 20, against Leigh Leopards.

“We apologise to supporters and players of both teams, match officials and broadcast partners for the disruption and thank everyone for their patience while the situation was resolved.”

Visiting coach Brad Arthur refused to blame the disruption for his side’s defeat, admitting Rhinos lacked fight and made “poor choices” as they failed to reach the last eight for the sixth successive year.