Warrington Wolves 25-16 Huddersfield Giants — 2009 Challenge Cup Final
Wembley Stadium, London · Attendance: 76,560
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
2009 Challenge Cup Final: Warrington Wolves 25-16 Huddersfield Giants, at Wembley Stadium, London.
Sourcing caveat: Lineups added via Rugby League Project team-sheet data, which returned clean non-sequential shirt numbers for both teams, cross-checked against the tries list above. Warrington's numbering under coach Tony Smith in this era ran unusually high and did not track traditional positions (fullback Richard Mathers wore 30, winger Chris Hicks 23), a genuine club quirk of the period rather than a sourcing artifact — the same pattern recurs, less pronounced, in the 2010 final below.
Scorers
| Warrington Wolves | Tries: Richie Mathers (2'); Michael Monaghan (13'); Chris Hicks (15'); Vinnie Anderson (60') Goals: Chris Bridge (4 goals) Drop goals: Lee Briers (80') |
| Huddersfield Giants | Tries: Shaun Lunt (9'); Brett Hodgson (39'); David Hodgson (77') Goals: Brett Hodgson (2 goals) |
Teams
| Warrington Wolves | Huddersfield Giants | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Richard Mathers | Fullback | Brett Hodgson | 1 |
| 23 | Chris Hicks | Wing | Leroy Cudjoe | 21 |
| 25 | Chris Bridge | Centre | Jamaal Lolesi | 11 |
| 4 | Matt King | Centre | Paul Whatuira | 4 |
| 19 | Chris Riley | Wing | David Hodgson | 5 |
| 13 | Vinnie Anderson | Five-eighth | Kevin Brown | 3 |
| 6 | Lee Briers | Halfback | Luke Robinson | 7 |
| 8 | Adrian Morley | Front row | Keith Mason | 16 |
| 7 | Michael Monaghan | Hooker | Shaun Lunt | 24 |
| 16 | Garreth Carvell | Front row | Darrell Griffin | 10 |
| 11 | Louis Anderson | Second row | Liam Fulton | 6 |
| 24 | Ben Harrison | Second row | Stephen Wild | 13 |
| 12 | Ben Westwood | Lock | David Faiumu | 9 |
| Substitutes | ||||
| 18 | Mike Cooper | Eorl Crabtree | 8 | |
| 2 | Paul Johnson | Paul Jackson | 15 | |
| 14 | Mick Higham | Scott Moore | 20 | |
| 28 | Tyrone McCarthy | Martin Aspinwall | 2 | |
| Tony Smith | Coach | Nathan Brown | ||
Match officials
| Referee | Steve Ganson |
| Lance Todd Trophy | Michael Monaghan (Warrington) — Lance Todd Trophy, the third Australian to win it |
Match report
Warrington Wolves won their first Challenge Cup in 35 years, beating Huddersfield Giants 25-16 in a fast-scoring final. The Wolves raced into an 18-6 lead through early tries from Richie Mathers, Michael Monaghan and Chris Hicks, with the video referee disallowing several Huddersfield scoring chances along the way. Huddersfield rallied through Brett and David Hodgson, but Vinnie Anderson's 60th-minute try, created by a Monaghan dummy-half burst, restored Warrington's cushion, and Lee Briers added a late drop goal to seal it. Monaghan's influential display earned him the Lance Todd Trophy. The victory ended a long trophy drought for Warrington and began a run of Wembley success under coach Tony Smith. 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 108th Challenge Cup final played, and, under the name “Warrington Wolves,” the 1st Challenge Cup title for the club. The result is recorded in this site's full results table alongside every other Challenge Cup final played since the competition's 1896/97 inception, cross-referenced against the venue and attendance figures gathered for that table.
Round by round
Round 1
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Widnes St Maries 24–19 Dudley Hill | Neil Hunt Memorial Ground | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| British Army 72–0 Northumbria University | Aldershot Rugby Stadium | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| Wath Brow Hornets 42–0 Egremont Rangers | Recreation Ground (Whitehaven) | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| Featherstone Lions 18–12 Hull University | Big Fellas Stadium | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| Saddleworth Rangers 36–12 Hull Isberg A | Shaw Hall Bank Road | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| Kells 26–14 Eastmoor Dragons | Recreation Ground (Whitehaven) | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| Leigh East 68–0 Orchard Park & Greenwood | — | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| Loughborough University 40–12 St Marys | — | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| Pilkington Recs 24–14 Milford | Beckett Park | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| Queens 13–0 Simms Cross | Buslingthorpe Vale | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| Lock Lane 16–14 Waterhead | — | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| West Bowling 32–6 East Hull | — | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| West Hull 56–0 East Leeds | — | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| Wigan St Judes 34–20 Myton Warriors | Parsons Meadow Playing Fields | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| Wigan St Patricks 24–18 Skirlaugh | Clarington Park | — | 24 Jan 2009 |
| Leeds Met Carnegie 36–6 Warrington Wizards | Beckett Park | — | 25 Jan 2009 |
| Edinburgh Eagles 18–16 RAF | — | — | 25 Jan 2009 |
| The Navy 38–28 Valley Cougars | Victory Stadium | — | 25 Jan 2009 |
| Leigh Miners Rangers 26–12 Castleford Panthers | Three Lane Ends | — | 31 Jan 2009 |
| Sharlston Rovers 36–10 Crosfields | Hood Lane Recreation Ground | — | 31 Jan 2009 |
| Hull Dockers 34–4 Ovenden | The Willows Sports & Social Club | — | 31 Jan 2009 |
| Siddal 36–12 Thatto Heath | — | — | 31 Jan 2009 |
Round 2
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| British Army 30–12 Featherstone Lions | Big Fellas Stadium | — | 16 Feb 2009 |
| Kells 31–22 Leigh Miners Rangers | Recreation Ground (Whitehaven) | — | 16 Feb 2009 |
| Leeds Met Carnegie 20–6 Edinburgh Eagles | Beckett Park | — | 16 Feb 2009 |
| Loughborough University 20–18 The Navy | — | — | 16 Feb 2009 |
| Saddleworth Rangers 20–16 Lock Lane | Shaw Hall Bank Road | — | 16 Feb 2009 |
| Sharlston Rovers 20–10 Leigh East | — | — | 16 Feb 2009 |
| Siddal 34–10 West Bowling | — | — | 16 Feb 2009 |
| Wath Brow Hornets 40–22 Hull Dockers | — | — | 16 Feb 2009 |
| Queens 15–8 Widnes St Maries | — | — | 16 Feb 2009 |
| Pilkington Recs 28–24 Wigan St Judes | Parsons Meadow Playing Fields | — | 16 Feb 2009 |
| Wigan St Patricks 24–12 West Hull | Clarington Park | — | 16 Feb 2009 |
Round 3
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keighley Cougars 30–24 Pia | Cougar Park | 447 | 7 Mar 2009 |
| Doncaster 16–12 Queens | Keepmoat Stadium | 595 | 7 Mar 2009 |
| Swinton Lions 10–6 Siddal | The Shay | 1,052 | 7 Mar 2009 |
| Widnes Vikings 88–0 Saddleworth Rangers | Stobart Stadium Halton | 1,786 | 7 Mar 2009 |
| Lézignan Sangliers 18–6 Workington Town | Derwent Park | 314 | 7 Mar 2009 |
| Barrow Raiders 44–12 Blackpool Panthers | Craven Park (Barrow) | 1,187 | 8 Mar 2009 |
| Dewsbury Rams 18–6 Carcassonne | Tetley's Stadium | 998 | 8 Mar 2009 |
| Featherstone Rovers 94–2 British Army | Big Fellas Stadium | 1,763 | 8 Mar 2009 |
| Gateshead Thunder 42–38 Whitehaven | Gateshead International Stadium | 501 | 8 Mar 2009 |
| Halifax 80–16 Loughborough University | The Shay | 1,138 | 8 Mar 2009 |
| Rochdale Hornets 38–24 Leeds Met Carnegie | Headingley Carnegie Stadium | 221 | 8 Mar 2009 |
| Leigh Centurions 82–6 Lokomotiv Moscow | Leigh Sports Village Stadium | 1,278 | 8 Mar 2009 |
| Oldham 26–8 Sharlston Rovers | Park Lane | 800 | 8 Mar 2009 |
| Batley Bulldogs 34–24 Pilkington Recs | GPW Recruitment Stadium | 709 | 8 Mar 2009 |
| Sheffield Eagles 22–6 Toulouse Olympique | Don Valley Stadium | — | 8 Mar 2009 |
Round 4
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochdale Hornets 28–22 Swinton Lions | Park Lane | 525 | 3 Apr 2009 |
| Halifax 20–16 Widnes Vikings | The Shay | 3,204 | 3 Apr 2009 |
| Hull Kingston Rovers 32–6 Celtic Crusaders | Craven Park (Hull) | 7,104 | 3 Apr 2009 |
| Sheffield Eagles 28–18 Dewsbury Rams | Don Valley Stadium | 597 | 3 Apr 2009 |
| Wakefield Trinity Wildcats 54–0 Leigh Centurions | Belle Vue Stadium (Wakefield) | 2,637 | 3 Apr 2009 |
| Warrington Wolves 56–10 York City Knights | Halliwell Jones Stadium | 4,709 | 4 Apr 2009 |
| Huddersfield Giants 42–16 Harlequins RL | Twickenham Stoop Stadium | 1,973 | 4 Apr 2009 |
| Batley Bulldogs 28–24 Hunslet Hawks | Mount Pleasant | 633 | 5 Apr 2009 |
| Featherstone Rovers 54–16 Wath Brow Hornets | Big Fellas Stadium | 1,180 | 5 Apr 2009 |
| Oldham 60–30 Lézignan Sangliers | Boundary Park | 863 | 5 Apr 2009 |
| Catalans Dragons 40–38 Bradford Bulls | Stade Gilbert Brutus | 6,450 | 5 Apr 2009 |
| Wigan Warriors 32–20 Barrow Raiders | Craven Park (Barrow) | 6,275 | 5 Apr 2009 |
| Gateshead Thunder 32–18 Doncaster | Keepmoat Stadium | 458 | 5 Apr 2009 |
| Castleford Tigers 64–20 Keighley Cougars | Cougar Park | 3,255 | 5 Apr 2009 |
Round 5
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wigan Warriors 28–17 Wakefield Trinity Wildcats | Belle Vue Stadium (Wakefield) | 4,883 | 9 May 2009 |
| Gateshead Thunder 34–16 Oldham | Northern Echo Darlington Arena | 929 | 9 May 2009 |
| Castleford Tigers 35–34 Halifax | The Jungle | 5,595 | 9 May 2009 |
| Huddersfield Giants 38–12 Rochdale Hornets | Galpharm Stadium | 2,859 | 10 May 2009 |
| Warrington Wolves 56–8 Featherstone Rovers | Big Fellas Stadium | 3,127 | 10 May 2009 |
| Salford City Reds 66–4 Batley Bulldogs | Mount Pleasant | 1,298 | 10 May 2009 |
| Hull Kingston Rovers 34–24 Sheffield Eagles | Craven Park (Hull) | 4,955 | 10 May 2009 |
| St Helens 42–8 Catalans Dragons | GPW Recruitment Stadium | 7,176 | 10 May 2009 |
Quarter-Final
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wigan Warriors 28–6 Salford City Reds | JJB Stadium | 9,466 | 29 May 2009 |
| Warrington Wolves 25–24 Hull Kingston Rovers | Craven Park (Hull) | 7,671 | 30 May 2009 |
| St Helens 66–6 Gateshead Thunder | Gateshead International Stadium | 4,325 | 30 May 2009 |
| Huddersfield Giants 16–14 Castleford Tigers | Galpharm Stadium | 6,359 | 31 May 2009 |
Semi-Final
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrington Wolves 39–26 Wigan Warriors | Stobart Stadium Halton | 12,975 | 8 Aug 2009 |
| Huddersfield Giants 24–14 St Helens | Halliwell Jones Stadium | 10,638 | 9 Aug 2009 |
Final
| Result | Venue | Attendance | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrington Wolves 25–16 Huddersfield Giants | Wembley Stadium | 76,560 | 29 Aug 2009 |
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.