Sourcing caveat: Try-scoring minutes could not be confirmed for either team, and Leeds' full try-scorer list beyond Gary Connolly could not be verified. Lineups added via Rugby League Project team-sheet data, which returned clean non-sequential shirt numbers for both teams (e.g. Kevin Sinfield at 13, Gary Connolly at 18), cross-checked against the tries list above.
Gary Connolly (Leeds Rhinos) — Lance Todd Trophy, one of the small group of players to win the award on the losing side
Match report
The 2003 final, the first Challenge Cup final held at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, produced a tight, high-quality contest between the two best sides of the early 2000s. Bradford Bulls edged Leeds Rhinos 22-20 thanks to tries from Robbie Hunter-Paul, Jamie Peacock and Tevita Vaikona and the accurate boot of Paul Deacon, while Leeds fought back and gave Bradford a real scare in the closing stages. Despite finishing on the losing side, Leeds centre Gary Connolly was awarded the Lance Todd Trophy for his individual performance. The result completed a hat-trick of near-identical narrow finals between the competition's leading clubs and confirmed Bradford's continued strength in cup rugby during the Super League era. Since Super League's 1996 launch, the Challenge Cup has continued to sit alongside the league championship as one of English rugby league's two most prestigious domestic honours, with the final remaining a fixture at Wembley Stadium (barring occasional relocations) and continuing to draw some of the largest single-match crowds anywhere in the sport. Since 1946/47, the competition's individual award, the Lance Todd Trophy, has been presented to the final's outstanding player, voted for by a panel of media representatives at the final whistle — on several notable occasions the trophy has gone to a player on the losing side, an unusual honour that reflects the award's focus on individual performance rather than simply reflecting the final scoreline. This was the 102nd Challenge Cup final played, and, under the name “Bradford Bulls,” the 2nd Challenge Cup title for the club.
Early rounds feature amateur and community clubs alongside professional ones; team names are linked only where this site has a team page for that exact club, matching the same safety-first approach used for the Final's own results table.
We use cookies for analytics and, in future, to serve relevant advertising that keeps this site free and lets us keep building out full historical depth for every sport. You can accept or decline non-essential cookies.