Rhinos left feeling blue as cherry and whites show their true colours

That may seem perverse. All that was stood before them was 30,000 delirious Wigan supporters celebrating their side’s victory. Hardly inspirational.

But those Wigan fans, since their remarkable eight-year winning run came to an abrupt halt in 1996, have had their pained moments in the famous competition too.

They had begun to feel they may never return to Wembley again, the last remaining memory of the evocative stadium being that 1998 shocker against Sheffield Eagles.

But their patience has been rewarded. Maybe Leeds will be next to extinguish their demons.

Those fans know they have a new breed of player making their way at the club – Ben Jones-Bishop and Kallum Watkins looked born to play in such occasions and it is unthinkable to imagine that sublime pair will not return there with Leeds and England for years to come.

For now, though, they had to endure the image of watching those Wiganers rejoicing.

Pre-match, they had feelings of concern given the standard of their opponents and with memories of last year’s flop against Warrington all too familiar.

They know, too, that their club has never defeated Wigan in a major final, a statistic which is all the more remarkable when it is noted the two giants of the game have only actually met five times before.

Two of those were the back-to-back Challenge Cup finals of ‘94 and ‘95, Ellery Hanley – the former Wigan captain who had joined Leeds by then – and Martin Offiah, the Wigan winger who scored the greatest try Wembley has ever seen in the first meeting, both in the crowd to witness the occasion.

Indeed, Offiah may have been a little unsettled in his seat when he saw the calibre of Joel Tomkins’s wonder 80m try, as spectacular a score seen at the stadium perhaps since his own effort. It was not far off.

But, by the end, it was like Wigan had never been away at all.

The way they partied and danced into the early evening, a weaving mass of cherry and white, it all came flooding back – Wigan and the Challenge Cup re-united much to Leeds’s disdain.

For those spoilt supporters who almost saw the trip to Wembley as a right rather than a privilege, that domination between 1988 and 1995 being the stuff of legend, it had been an all too unfamiliar and long wait.

But walking up Wembley Way again they quickly slotted back into the spirit and camaraderie of it all.

The names may be different – for Edwards, Gregory, Hanley and Offiah read Tomkins, Finch, O’Loughlin and Richards – and the stadium itself has had a little facelift of sorts since their last visit but Wigan undoubtedly brought some colour and tradition back to the competition which has had its struggles in recent years.

They did not have that usual swagger of those halcyon days when they would make their annual pilgrimage knowing the win was almost complete before their opponents had stepped onto the surface.

No, for all the bookmakers confidence in their side, many Wigan supporters were duly concerned about Leeds’s prowess and knew they would face a tough battle.

But as Thomas Leuluai dived over for the try which finally killed off Leeds’s brave efforts, they could celebrate in full knowledge that they had conquered their second home once more, the memory of Sheffield Eagles, Mark Aston’s merciless boot and ‘98 banished at last.

“It’s a bit posher now,” said one, on first sight of the stadium, slightly dishevelled already so clearly having found all the old watering holes in their usual locations.

A bunch of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles causes the sea of cherry and white to split, momentarily, the sort of random weird image which is traditional on Cup final day. Could be Castleford fans in there, maybe Saints, all preferring to stay disguised perhaps given the two names contesting the final.

Once they have passed the sea re-forms, cherry and white cascading down Wembley Way again with blue and amber following in and around.

The colour is always there but it remains to be seen where the best place in the rugby league calender is for the Challenge Cup final. This was certainly the most entertaining of the five since a re-developed Wembley welcomed home the competition but Saturday’s crowd of 78,482 was, worryingly, significantly down on last year.

There was nearly 7,000 fans fewer than Leeds’s 2010 finale with Warrington.

There was reasons for that. Some Leeds supporters may have felt Wigan would hand out the demolition so many people were predicting and preferred to stay clear of such a one-sided final affair.

Having scrambled past Castleford in the semi-final – which was also poorly attended – and then lost against Harlequins last weekend, their patchy form suggested it might be a long afternoon for Leeds.

The cost of a Wembley trip, so close to the other main event of the calender – the Grand Final in October – is hard on the pocket and it is clear Old Trafford is perhaps growing more popular if it is a choice between one or the other.

Such is the harsh economic situation, however, that some people even turned down complimentary tickets, citing the cost of travel alone as a reason for not attending on Saturday afternoon. That is a sign of what the RFL has to contend with if it is going to make Wembley a sell-out again.

With no news yet on who will take over the sponsorship of the Cup next season, there may be more empty seats in 2012.

Maybe it should return to its traditional May slot.

However, the best advert for the cup is the action on the pitch. This year, Leeds and Wigan combined in thrilling fashion to give it the biggest boost it could hope for.

Now Leeds fans have to remain patient and maybe their time for ji gging will come soon too.

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