Tryline Watch Along 10 - Bradford vs Leeds 2003 Challenge Cup Final

-
The other week you may have seen our watchalong of the 2003 Challenge Cup Semi Final between Leeds and St Helens. Since the Final itself is on YouTube, it seemed only right to complete the story.

For Leeds, semi-final hero Danny McGuire was dropped, but there were no surprises in the Bradford line-up, who reached the final by beating Warrington.

 A Chaotic Opening

 Bradford thought that they had taken the lead within the first minute, but were denied by the video referee.
Minutes later, they did open the scoring, although Leeds questioned whether the final pass was forward.

Leeds Hit Back

The next two tries, sandwiched in between two penalties, went the way of Leeds to put them in a strong position approaching half time.
Another Swing!

 Bradford scored either side of half time to turn a 6 point deficit into a 6 point lead!
Controversy Reigns 

Throughout the match, there were a number of difficult decisions to be made. This was just one of them, Leeds were left furious having being denied either a penalty or penalty try, depending on who you ask!
Leeds compounded their problems by conceding a penalty, and Bradford stretched their lead.
Any way back?

The final looked to be slipping away from Leeds, but hope sprung eternal thanks to a Dave Furner try.
With just six minutes to go, Leeds had a penalty to level the match. They decided to roll the dice and go for the win. Bradford held them out and the gamble backfired.
Champagne Moment!

Bradford survived the final few minutes and claimed their second Challenge Cup in four seasons!
We hope you enjoyed our latest watchalong. If you want more, then head over to our archives! Next Saturday night, we'll be watching back a surprising result from the 2004 Super League play offs. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Most Read:

The Toxicity of the Match Officials Department

-
This morning, it was confirmed by the RFL that Head of Match Officials since 2016, Steve Ganson, has been suspended pending investigation. Under Ganson's tenure, James Child, Ian Smith, Matt Thomason, George Stokes, Sam Ansell, Phil Bentham, Richard Silverwood, Joe Cobb, Chris Campbell, Steve Presley and Mike Burnett have all left the RFL. Meanwhile, Robert Hicks has stepped down as a full-time referee, moving to a compliance role, Jack Smith stepped down as a full-time referee before returning and Ben Thaler was suspended and later reinstated in mysterious circumstances. Such a high turnover of staff in a department with relatively few staff should raise cause for concern. Especially when many departing staff have commented on their departures in such damning terms. Here are what some have said: James Child The most recently departed match official, James Child, has spoken to Forty-20 Magazine. " What I've always found difficult about refereeing are not the external press
View full blog

Have London Broncos Broken IMG?

-
I am sorry but I am about to drop the C bomb. Christmas. I know, I know, it's only October but it's coming! The time of year that products are rushed out for consumers. Some of you may find a game under your Christmas tree this year. Let's take a moment to think how it got there. Before any game hits the shelves and is played by a consumer, it is extensively 'play-tested'. This means that developers play these games repeatedly, trying all sorts of different techniques, with the intention of 'breaking' the game; finding an error that renders it flawed. When they do, it is back to the drawing board, the flaw is ironed out and you play test again. A lot of work goes in to games to ensure, to the best extent possible, they are unbreakable. This is a Rugby League blog. So what does this have to do with anything? Well, the sport is set to introduce a new licensing system from 2025 and I wondered whether IMG and the RFL have done the equivalent of play-testing the
View full blog

Silence is the loudest noise of all

-
In August 2019, Batley Bulldogs hooker Archie Bruce made his debut for the club in an away defeat against Toulouse. He never returned home. Archie died from asphyxiation (suffocation) after a team night out.  A post-mortem report revealed Archie had consumed alcohol, cocaine and had 'toxic' levels of Tramadol (a strong painkiller) in his system at the time of his death. The levels of Tramadol (a medication only available on prescription), according to an expert at Archie's inquest, was in fact double the level considered toxic and potentially fatal. Archie's inquest was told that Batley Bulldogs players used Tramadol regularly, and illegal drugs including cocaine. One member of the Batley squad told the inquest " Everyone knows [about cocaine use in the squad], you just have to keep it under wraps" . After the inquest, Archie's family called for the RFL and its member clubs to implement a robust code of conduct to ensure a similar tragedy did not occur. Th
View full blog