'Not trying to be men's team' - Betts on Wigan rise
Wigan Warriors turned some heads when they reached the Women's Challenge Cup final earlier this season.To say they thrashed Leeds Rhinos is an understatement.Denis Betts' side demolished the two-time winners 44-14 and, short of a late Leeds rally, Wigan never looked in much danger over the course of the 80 minutes.It signalled the rise of another side to the very top of the women's game in England, with St Helens and York dominating the past few years along with Leeds.But what is the secret to Wigan's recent ascent? And where did that performance against Leeds come from?Ahead of their derby meeting with reigning champions St Helens in this weekend's Women's Challenge Cup final, BBC Sport has taken a look at one of the most impressive upturns of late.
Prior to the semi-final in May, Leeds had won their past 12 meetings with Wigan.Yet despite that record, Warriors, who lead the Super League table after three wins from three, went into the tie in fine form.Wigan legend Betts said there is no secret to why his side have stormed their way into 2025 but the key was forging their own path rather than mimicking the efforts of their quadruple-winning men's team."What we've tried to do as a team is that we're not trying to look like a men's team," former Wigan and Great Britain second row Betts, 55, told BBC Sport."We're not trying to look like anything other than who we are as a group of young, inspirational women who want to play rugby, pass the ball and want it to be exciting and enjoy it."I think you can see that in the way we play."
As a player, Betts won seven men's Challenge Cups among a raft of trophies with an all-conquering Wigan side during nine years with the club from 1986 to 1995.After coaching spells at a number of clubs including Widnes, he returned to Wigan as women's head coach in 2024 and swiftly set about turning around their fortunes.In last season's Challenge Cup, they were beaten at the semi-final stage by eventual finalists Leeds Rhinos, and Betts has seen the progression in his side ever since.That loss shaped his side and despite the result, he believes that where the team is now was borne out of their experiences in 2024."It took a few games and months to get going but we saw a little bit of it in the semi-final [in 2024] when we were beaten by Leeds at St Helens," Betts added."We saw glimpses of it and throughout this season we've slowly got better and it culminated in a really strong win at York against Leeds [in 2025's semi-final]."We've given ourselves a chance in the top four but we've never really taken that and put a performance in that would give us a real foothold in that elite group, so to speak."So we went away and dusted ourselves down. The squad has changed a little bit but not massively, we've still got the core element of what that group is and they've worked really hard."
Despite their recent progression, Betts is not putting pressure on his side to succeed at Wembley, knowing that it is an achievement in itself to get there.Since its formation in 2012, Wigan have never reached the Women's Challenge Cup final but know they have their work cut out if they are to beat holders Saints, who have won the competition the past four years running."Wembley is a fantastic occasion - but it's not the be-all and end-all," Betts continued."This is a group that is getting better and this is just another step along the way. It's not the end of anything and it's not the start."This is just a thing that is in that journey and that's what we need - and they need to want that and add meaning to what we are trying to do more of."
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