Leeds Rhinos coach wary of Challenge Cup semi-final trap, predicts 'really tough' clash v Wigan Warriors

Rhinos hammered Sunday’s Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup semi-final opponents Wigan Warriors 52-0 in a Super League encounter just two weeks ago.

Based on that result, securing a place in the Wembley final - against either York Valkyrie or St Helens who meet on Saturday - would appear to be a formality for Leeds.

But Rhinos led only 8-0 at half-time and Forsell insisted the main lesson from the previous game was “how good Wigan were in the first half and if we don’t don’t perform and do what we need to do early doors, they will keep us to a low score”.

Rhinos also beat Wigan in the final of the recent Women’s Nines tournament at Salford, having drawn with them in the group stage and their coach stressed: “We are expecting a really tough contest.

“Wigan are a tough outfit and we know they can defend well, they can run hard and they’ve got some great athletes.

“They’ve got some players who didn’t play last time so [the previous result] is absolutely not in the back of our minds.

“We know how hard we had to work in the first half and the girls remember how sore they were on the Tuesday, when they came back in after that game on a Sunday.

“It is a massive game and we’ve got to be at our absolute best if we want to get to the next stage.”

Leeds also won’t be caught out thinking ahead to the final, according to Forsell. “There’s no point talking about Wembley if we don’t get it right this weekend,” she added.

“We are just focused on one game at a time. It is about what we do this weekend to get a performance and if we get a performance, we’ll get a result.

“Wigan will be thinking exactly the same, it’s 80 minutes and anything can happen so we have got to be at our best and switched on to the task at hand.”

The decision to stage the tie as a double-header with the men’s semi-final between Wigan and Hull KR means Leeds have home advantage, but the majority of the crowd will be backing the visitors.

“Hopefully we can get some Leeds fans in and they will massively get behind the women,” Forsell said.

“We know they will have a lot of fans coming and that’s a big thing. I am sure there’ll be a bit of disappointment from Wigan, but I am sure they’ll realise Headingley is a class stadium to play at and they’ll relish the opportunity.”

Rhinos tuned up with a 12-12 draw at Super League leaders York last Sunday, when they hit back from 12-4 behind in the first half and outscored their hosts by three tries to two, despite having two players sin-binned in separate incidents.

Forsell admitted that was a “very bizarre game, scrappy from both sides”, but stressed: “I am really proud of how the girls stuck together and how hard they defended at times.

“I think they showed some real character, but we need to manage games a bit better and that’s something we have focused on this week in training.”

Last week’s result was a sign of how far Rhinos’ new-look team have come since a 34-12 loss to York in their opening Super League game, three months ago and Forsell reckons it will stand them in good stead for Sunday.

“The girls are obviously becoming more comfortable about where they fit in the squad and what their strengths are and what their mates’ strengths are,” she noted.

“It has been a lot of learning, the first part of the season and we have always said it is not what you do in the first couple of weeks, it’s how you come through towards the back end of the season.

“We want to keep our standards high, keep the challenge high and keep on our toes every single week.

“For all the younger girls and the girls who are new to Women’s Super League, it is a big step up.

“I don’t want to sound too philosophical, but you look at it as being a journey and it is. York was very different to what those girls have played in front of - the York fans are very loud and it is a bit of a fortress for them.

“Some of the girls hadn’t played in that sort of noise and that sort of additional pressure. It is a big change and a big learning curve.

“I think once they tick a few of those off they almost become like different players because they understand what it’s like and know how to deal with it.

“But they have to have those experiences first and I liked the way the girls stuck together and came through the game as a group.”