Leigh Leopards' Chris Chester vows to avoid repeat of Hull KR mistakes on Wembley return

In a twist of fate, the man in the Rovers hot seat that day is now head of rugby at Leigh Leopards.

Chris Chester shared the pain of every one of Leeds Rhinos' nine tries in the 50-0 drubbing and carried it around for some time.

"The weeks after were really, really tough," the former Hull KR head coach told The Yorkshire Post.

"The days after were probably the toughest few days I've ever experienced as a coach. We played Wakefield the week after the cup final and that was real difficult.

"I can't remember much of the day – it's all a bit of a blur. I'm happy it's that way."

Only four weeks earlier, Chester was on the crest of a wave after guiding the Robins to their first Challenge Cup final in 29 years thanks to a memorable win over Warrington Wolves at Headingley.

Rovers were huge underdogs against a golden generation at the peak of their powers but the manner of the defeat was tough to swallow.

Chester cannot go back in time to change history but he can ensure he does not make the same mistakes again, which is bad news for his former club.

"There are loads of things I'd do differently just looking at it now," he said.

"That's the experience I've drawn upon to try and help Lammy (Leigh head coach Adrian Lam) and the rest of the boys.

"We got things wrong in terms of squad selection, where we stayed the couple of days before the game and overall preparation.

"There are a lot of things I'd do differently but I'm not too sure whether that would have affected the result. We played a Leeds team that were the best Super League side for a number of years and we were caught in the middle of it all.

"We lost Terry Campese midway through the year and had Albert Kelly who was our best player go into that game injured.

"There are lots of things that I should have done differently but have hopefully learnt from those experiences. I've shared those with the rest of the staff, especially Lammy."

For Leigh, Saturday's return to Wembley has been 52 years in the making.

Chester's experience with Hull KR taught him to protect the players from the outside noise.

"The big thing is something I didn't do which is try keep everything to a minimum in terms of what's expected of the players with the press to take the pressure off them and keep it as normal as we can," said Chester, who won the cup as a player with Hull FC in 2005.

"It's easier said than done but the players have to go into the game nice and relaxed."

Chester's role in getting Leigh to the final and establishing the Leopards as genuine Super League contenders cannot be understated.

The 44-year-old armed Lam with a star-studded squad and has seen it flourish, leaving him with the same satisfaction he felt when he led Rovers to Wembley.

"It's very similar," said Chester. "It's the next best thing to coaching.

"I'm immensely proud. If you’d said 18 months ago when I first took over that we'd be joint second and going to Wembley, I would have laughed in their face and said they're crackers.

"The squad we have assembled is through a lot of hard work. We did our due diligence on all the players we brought in with background checks.

"It takes a lot of money as well and that's where Derek (Beaumont, owner) has been unbelievable.

"I would like to get back into coaching one day but this is a role that really suits me.

"At this stage in my career it's been the perfect role for me and just what I needed after six tough years at Wakefield. Even when we had two fifth-place finishes, they were still tough years for a number of reasons.

"I'm loving the role, the club and working with Lammy."

A tense and tight final is expected between two clubs that have been starved of success in the modern era.

Whatever the outcome, there will be a fresh name on the trophy.

"It's massive for the game," said Chester.

"Hopefully we can draw on some of those past experiences. We're looking to bring somebody in to talk to the players at the start of the week.

"We did something similar with Roger Millward in 2015 when he was still around, bless him, and I always remember him sending me a really nice card the week of the final wishing me luck and congratulating me. To get something like that off a guy like Roger Millward was pretty special. I'll never forget that.

"In terms of ourselves, it's 50 years. It's a day we're all going to enjoy and cherish.

"It's good to see someone different in the cup final. Both clubs have got a hell of a lot to play for and are steeped in history.

"There are a few demons to get rid of. Those were the words I used when myself and Neil (Hudgell, owner) messaged each other after they got through to the final.

"It's a great position that we find ourselves in and pretty fitting that it's up against Hull KR who have done a fantastic job in getting there themselves. May the best team win.”