Will Wakefield emulate Leigh’s cup feat? | Mike McMeeken looks towards Trinity’s Quarter-Final tie

The Betfred Challenge Cup Quarter-Finals get underway tonight, with Wakefield Trinity hosting Leigh Leopards at the DIY Kitchens Stadium.

The sides only met last week in the Betfred Super League, where Trinity ran in seven tries and recorded an impressive 40-14 win over Adrian Lam’s men on the road.

Their captain, Mike McMeeken, was one of the star performers for Trinity in this match – racking up two tries and one try assist in the first forty, as well as 101 metres and 37 tackles all in a mind blowing 64-minute stint.

But in typical McMeeken fashion, the Wakefield leader refused to take much of the credit and instead applauded a wonderful team effort:

“It was a good team performance,” McMeeken said. “I feel the scoreline made it look like it was a one-sided game, but I think it was pretty tough for the full 80 minutes and we’re expecting the same this week!

“I was given the ball in good places from Liam Hood on both occasions. When I assisted Olly [Russell], it was great pass from Hoody – he found me in some good space.

“That first try; Hoody again found the space and then my second was just a right place, right time moment and that was a special kick from Isaiah [Vagana].”

As tonight’s tie fast approaches, there are no second chances in the Challenge Cup competition, and McMeeken knows that the Leopards will be out to avenge last week’s defeat:

“Preparation for tonight has been really good. We’ve had good preps for the majority of our weeks and this week the focus has shifted from league to Challenge Cup.

“It’s quarter-final rugby now and you know you’ve got to win at all costs. League form is put on the backburner and all focus switches to the cup.

“It wasn’t a bad Leigh side that we played against last Friday. They are in fact a great side and have some great players.

“I’m sure they’ll want to right their wrongs from last week. It’s going to be another really tough game.”

As the Challenge Cup continues its revival in 2025, the competition has always meant something to McMeeken:

“The Challenge Cup is special, isn’t it? It’s got so much history and it’s your first chance at some silverware this season.

“It’s just like the FA Cup in football. It’s got that history about it and that means so much to players, fans and the community.”

Trinity’s recent story is rather remarkable. They were relegated in 2023 after 25 years in the top flight, but a stadium renovation, new takeover and new head coach, a strong recruitment drive and lot of hard work both on and off the field has since seen them rise.

Daryl Powell’s men have bounced straight back into Super League after a one-year hiatus – and that was after scooping up every piece of silverware available in what was a memorable Betfred Championship season – which included their first trip to iconic Wembley in over 45 years.

And there’s another Wembley appearance up for grabs in the Challenge Cup this year – with every chance that Trinity could emulate the feat of their Friday night opponents – the newly-promoted going from 1895 Cup holders to Challenge Cup winners within just 12 months.

Leigh achieved back-to-back cup trophies in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and ironically, their last Challenge Cup meeting with Trinity came in the latter.

Fast forward to present day, and Wakefield find themselves in sight of their first Challenge Cup semi-final in almost a decade, and although it's an opportunity they are intent on seizing, McMeeken has insisted that his side can't afford to get too carried away:

“The main thing is winning on Friday night and that’s where our main focus is at. We don’t want to be getting focused on semi-finals or finals right now, but to be part of a team in any final would be really special.

“Whether it’s this year, next year or whenever – that’s the aim of this club – we want to be going to finals and performing in those games.”

England international McMeeken, who joined the Red, White & Blue for 2025, has has been one of the standout forwards this season so far, and is loving his role as captain under head coach Powell, who is, of course, a familiar face from his Castleford days.

And he couldn’t speakly highly enough about his teammates:

“I’ve loved captaining the side so far this year,” McMeeken admitted. “It helps when you’ve got a good group of players around you and we’ve got a great squad here.

“We've got some great individual players, but it’s also the personalities around the place which make it too.

“It’s not been a hard job for me to do really – we’ve got some leaders across the squad that other players really look up to. I’m enjoying it.”

Trinity have enjoyed glorious away form in Super League this year, which includes emphatic victories over Leeds, Warrington and Leigh respectively.

They are yet to register a league victory on home soil, however, and with tonight's showdown set to be the club’s best home crowd for a Challenge Cup match since the early 2000s, McMeeken is hopeful they can get the job done:

“We’d prefer to be winning some games at home, but three massive Super League wins away from home has been great – it’s always good to have good away form.

“We know we need to improve our home form though. The fans have been class this year home and away and we’re expected to have another good crowd down at Belle Vue on Friday.

“I’ve heard Leigh are bringing a good amount as well, so it’s going to be a great atmosphere!”

And despite their home defeats in 2025, Trinity's belief has not wavered. On the back of a loss, has come a convincing win, with Trinity managing to provide an instant response in their following game.

“We don’t get too high with our wins, and we don’t get too low with our losses. We use our losses as a learning curve. We learn from our mistakes and focus on that.

"We don’t get too down – we’ve lost a few games where it could have turned out very differently, but we look at how we can turn it around and where we can improve for next week.

"We also have players who are determined to improve week in week out."

Nevertheless, consistency is still a crucial factor to success and beating Leigh for a second successive week will be no easy task, especially with the Leopards keen to echo the events of 2023.

McMeeken recognises this, and either way, we should certainly expect fireworks when these two teams go head-to-head under the lights at Belle Vue...

"Getting past Leigh tonight is the main focus," he emphasised.

“I want to finish this year with Wakefield successfully. We have our own goals of where we want to be come October time, but it's all eyes on Friday night first.”

An experienced McMeeken might be a two-time Super League Grand Finalist and know all about the big stage, but is yet to experience the famous walk out at Wembley Stadium...

Which side will book their place in the semi-finals?

Wakefield v Leigh’s Quarter-Final tie will be shown LIVE on SuperLeague+ this evening (K.O. 8pm). This game will be available to watch for fans with an existing subscription or can be purchased as a PPV event for a one-off price of £7.99. Sign up here.

A full Betfred Challenge Cup Quarter-Finals Preview can be found here.

Saturday 7 June is Betfred Challenge Cup Finals Day 2025 – also including the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Final, AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final, and RFL Champion Schools Year 7 Boys Final. Tickets are on sale now!