By Drew Derbyshire
COMEBACK man Harry Smith hopes to help fire Wigan Warriors back to Wembley this weekend – but standing in their way are fierce rivals St Helens.
The talented England scrum-half returns after serving a three-match suspension following a Grade E charge for ‘making unnecessary contact with a player who is/may be injured’ during last month’s Challenge Cup quarter-final victory over Wakefield Trinity.
Having missed Super League games against Castleford Tigers, Warrington Wolves and Bradford Bulls, Smith admits the spell on the sidelines has been frustrating – but says there could hardly be a better fixture for his return than this weekend’s huge Challenge Cup semi-final.
He said: “I’m not really used to missing many games through injuries, touch wood, and I don’t often get banned, so it has been frustrating.”
The showdown in Warrington will be the first meeting between the sides since Saints’ remarkable 34-24 Good Friday comeback victory, when Wigan surrendered a 24-10 lead in the closing stages in one of the most dramatic derbies in recent memory.
Smith admits that defeat is still fresh in the mind and will provide extra motivation heading into the clash.
“That will definitely be up there as motivation to get one back, but I’ve been impressed with Saints,” continued the 26 year-old.
“I obviously thought we had done enough to win it on Good Friday, and the last eight minutes were pure craziness on our part of not seeing the game through and not being able to switch momentum.
“But they’re a very good team with very good attacking threats and they showed that at Easter. I’m sure they’ll be showing that again in the semi-final.
“They’ve had a run of games now with the same spine, getting more experienced forwards back, so I think they’ll be dangerous and we won’t be taking it lightly at all.
“I’ve never seen anything like that or been part of something like that on Good Friday. We didn’t blow them away, but we dominated field position for most of the game.
“We scored some nice tries and didn’t feel fully threatened a lot when they got in our red zone – but then that last eight minutes, we couldn’t swing back momentum in our favour, and that’s a credit to them for smelling the blood and taking their chance.
“That’s something we need to learn from and not let happen ever again. We need to use it as motivation. It was a crazy moment to be a part of, but one I will definitely learn from.”
Smith also knows exactly what is at stake. His only appearance at Wembley Stadium came during Wigan’s trophy-laden 2024 campaign, when they defeated Warrington 18-8 in the Challenge Cup final on the way to an historic quadruple.
“The nostalgia of Wembley and the meaning it has to the Challenge Cup as well added that bit extra for us, having not been able to play there in 2022, when it was at Tottenham,” Smith continued.
“To go to a Challenge Cup final at Wembley was very special.
“I wouldn’t say we were lulling at that point of the season. We were playing well, but sometimes you can get complacent, and the Challenge Cup can almost make you switch on more because you know it’s a big game and you know you need to win.
“So then once we got that motivation, we played really well against Warrington, and I felt like that almost helped us kick on for the rest of the year.
“You see some teams win the Challenge Cup and then shut up shop, and they’re happy, whereas for us it was the other way around.
“It was like ‘we are onto something here’. The confidence we got from that game and how we
played, knowing we had all four trophies to go for, it was like a motivation that pushed us on.”
St Helens v Wigan Warriors - Saturday 9 May, K.O. 2.30pm (BBC1 and BBC iPlayer 2pm-4.30pm)
It's Betfred Challenge Cup Finals Day at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 30 May 2026. Book your tickets here!
