timesonline.typepad.com/rugby_le ... upset.html

timesonline.typepad.com/rugby_le ... upset.html

Nah, it's the Sheffield Cup final win over them. Salford's win was remarkable, I remember it well, turning on the TV and seeing the score with 7 minutes to go and not believing it could be true.

Looking at that clip, how good is it to see Salford's ground with people inside it? They wouldn't get a crowd like that these days for a Cup game against the Goons. Is it just me or does the standard of the play look far better in those days too? The depth of the Salford attack is impressive, inside balls are to people steaming onto the ball. There is none of that these days. Who were the marauding 6 and 7 in those clips?

Steve Blakeley and Mark Lee.

I think that the salford win over wigoooon was by far the greatest cup upset , salford 1 division below the team who looked like were never gonna give this cup up turned the tables on the then invincibles . it started the end really and although IIRC wigan went on to claim the centenary league that signified the end of winter rugby the dominance had been halted and in came saints and bulls.

a cornerstone in the history of wigan

You are right, I was watching old clips on YT recently and noticed the different patterns of play. Each team used to play the game differently, now all the games look the same and each team seems to play the same way and try the same tricks to con referees.

Best day ever. please don't bring up the worst...

Widnes 4 Oldham 16 in 1990

Oldham 10 Wigan 8 in 1987, that was the last game Wigan lost prior to the Salford one in the cup. I can still see Paddy Kirwin crossing the line now.

Halifax Blue Sox 8
Keighley Cougars 21 in 1997

Probably the best performance from a Keighley side i've ever seen.

I believe it to be one of only a couple of times a Super League team has lost at home to a lower league side in the Challenge Cup.

Featherstone beating Hull in the final in 83 was a massive shock. Hull were odds on to win Featherstone had just clung on and avoided relegation. Looked a poor side but did the business in the final.

Hunslet Hawks 18-14 fourth round home defeat of newly promoted Huddersfield Giants in 2003

given the run Hudds were on and they were two divisions apart
no contest

Hull KR (top of NL1) 40 vs Warrington (4th in SL) 36.

I was hoping no one would mention this one. I stopped going for 2 years after this game (I was only 9 though, so it had a big impact on me!)

Fev beating Hull at Wembley

If Hull KR fans vote in their billions again, I've no doubt this will be number one.

I was thinking the same

Hull losing at Wembley is not a shock

Don't tell Eddie and Stevo that

That Savelio who played for Salford. His son is currently a u15 scholar at St Helens (Stolen from Warrington).

Toulouse beating Widnes 40 - 24 in the 2005 quarter finals has to be right up there.

Hey no need for a dig, just my personal opinion. It was the most exciting and dramatic Challenge Cup game I'd ever seen (whether live or on TV) + considering how rare upsets had become in the full-time professional era I thought that made it even more impressive, i.e. shocks in the winter days are of course to be commended, but it can't be denied that things like boggy pitches were a great leveller back then, which in theory gave the lower league teams a better chance.

Beat me to it

Only "third tier" team to win a challenge cup tie against SL opponents

I was there at Thrum Hall alongside a young Richard Moore, now of Wakefield.

There was an almighty mass brawl at the end of the game when our fullback Keith Dixon, who had a reputation for being a bit soft, stupidly picked a fight with Kelvin Skerritt. Needless to say it was probably the most one sided fight in the history of Rugby League with Skerrett knocking him out cold with his first punch. Then all hell broke loose with I think Skerrett getting a red card and Darren Fleary going in the bin as well.

Not to mention the fact that the giants had twice racked up over 60 points on hunslet the previous season with practically the Same teams, a remarkable result which seems to go unnoticed for some reason

because huddersfield were utter garbage.
worse than any SL team ever barr Halifax '03

Good points and I agree. The variety of play nowadays isn't there compared with back then.



Yep, almost every SL team seems to use the same set moves every week. There's always going to be a similar moves being used but it does seem there is less variety these days.