Jack Hughes is back for Leigh Leopards and their semi-final tie with Warrington Wolves this Sunday, and the second rower knows exactly what it takes to reach a Challenge Cup Final!
Hughes and the Challenge Cup competition go very well together. He made his first team debut for his first club Wigan Warriors in a Challenge Cup Fourth Round match – before going on to lift the coveted trophy with Warrington in 2019 and more recently Leigh in 2023.
And now, the two latter teams will meet at the Totally Wicked Stadium in St Helens on Sunday, with a place in the 2025 Wembley Finals Day at stake.
Hughes sat the Betfred Super League Magic Weekend out with a minor injury concern, returns for the Leopards’ biggest game of the season so far:
“Unfortunately I didn’t get to play last week – I didn’t quite make it with an injury niggle,” explained Hughes, who has so far featured in a career total of four Challenge Cup finals.
“But I managed to get up to Newcastle with family and got to experience it that way. It was great to finally get up there as a fan and see what it’s about.
“My family enjoyed it, and it looked like all the Leigh fans did.
“I was on the edge on my seat. We [Leigh] didn’t get off to the best of starts by our standards, but we’ve got great character within this team, and we found a way to win.”
Looking ahead to the highly anticipated Challenge Cup semi-finals, Hughes is excited for the occasion, along with the rest of his teammates:
“The mood’s buzzing in camp. These kind of weeks – the intensity always goes up a notch. Naturally you don’t have to mention that or bring that up and try and force it. It just happens and you can really feel it when training."
As Hughes prepares to come up against his former club – a side he has captained and made over 160 appearances for, including the 2019 Challenge Cup victory against St Helens – this isn’t going to be something that plays on his mind, as he insists his only focus getting his current club back to the national stadium.
“It’s not something that’s on my mind, no, I’m past that. I had some great times at Warrington, but I’ve moved on now and I’m looking for more great times at this club.
“We’ve got Warrington in our way this week and with the rest of the boys I’ll be doing everything I can to get that win.”
There will be no love lost as the two teams meet for the second time in a matter of weeks, having last played one another in Super League's Rivals Round where Leigh clinched an exhilarating 18-14 victory.
Interestingly, Hughes is one of eleven players still remaining from Leigh’s 2023 squad and was a pivotal part in their Challenge Cup Final winning team.
The 2023 final contested by Leigh and Hull KR was unforgettable to say to the least, as Lachlan Lam’s drop goal sealed the 16-17 win for the Leopards in a Golden Point thriller - and Leigh emotionally went on and lifted the trophy for the first time in 52 years.
Now seen as genuine contenders in both cup and league, Leigh are looking to recreate a similar success story this time around, and there’s already been plenty of talk about this the Leopards camp:
“We’ve mentioned the magic of the cup and what it’s like to get there and experience it," said Hughes.
“The new boys will have probably seen social media clips now and videos from that year, and from previous years that we used back in 2023 as well.
“I’ve no doubt that we’ll delve into that more as the weeks go on and more so going forward if we need to.
“They have a good understanding of it, and they’ll be buying into it come this weekend.”
Leigh's Class of 2023 didn't only just burst with quality but possessed a chemistry between the players that was well documented - and can often be quite rare to find in teams.
But 33-year-old Hughes believes they’ve got something special growing at Leigh Leopards once again in 2025:
“We’ve lost some key players in this squad in the past 12 months, but that connection, that closeness and that tightness hasn’t dropped off.
“We’ve managed to maintain it and new faces have come in. It’s taken a bit of time, but we’re in a good spot right now and we’re pretty close – and that’s what you need in those big games.
“Our fans are massive for us too – they’re absolutely massive for us as players.
“If we can bring it to St Helens, then that’s going to give us everything we need to give ourselves a good shot at getting one over on Warrington.”
Will Hughes go on to feature in another Challenge Cup Final?
Expect the Unexpected in the Betfred Challenge Cup!
Watch Warrington Wolves v Leigh Leopards’ Semi-Final on Sunday 11 May, live on BBC Two (K.O. 4:15pm).
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!
