Matt Peet hails Wigan’s resilience to overcome St Helens and reach cup showpiece

Wigan coach Matt Peet spoke of his team’s resilience after they overcame a terrific fightback from St Helens to secure a 20-18 victory in their Betfred Challenge Cup semi-final at Elland Road.

Peet’s men dominated the first half of their last-four tie to lead 14-0 thanks to tries from Liam Marshall, Cade Cust and Liam Farrell.

But they looked to be on their way out when holders Saints, completely out of sorts in the first 40 minutes, found a purple patch and ran in three converted tries to go 18-14 in front.

However, Marshall settled a pulsating tie with a spectacular 90-metre try which gives Peet the chance to lead his home-town team out at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on May 28 in his first season as head coach.

“There are games where you are wondering if the lads are going to turn up when they should win but today I just knew the prize at the end of it was huge,” Peet said.

“I’ve got a lot of trust in the group. There were times where both teams were dominant and it’s credit to the resilience within the group and trust they have in one another.”

Wigan will now prepare for their 33rd Challenge Cup final, chasing a record-extending 20th victory, but Peet says they still have some catching up do on their arch rivals, who have relinquished their grip on the cup but remain in pole position to claim a fourth-successive Super League title.

“You’ve got to judge yourself again the best team and Saints are the best team, so to have a good first half against them means more,” he said.

“They are still the benchmark. It’s going to take years to learn from the benchmark – this game doesn’t change that.

“I’m going to take this in because getting to a final was a big goal for me personally.

“I want us to get like Saints who are