Challenge Cup final: Two-time winner Ian Millward on his experience of rugby league's showpiece game

Sporting Life columnist Ian Millward won the Challenge Cup twice during his spell as head coach of St Helens.

He lifted the famous trophy in both 2001 and 2004 but also suffered the heartache of losing in the 2002 final.

Here, ahead of Saturday's 2017 decider, he gives his take on what the occasion is like and what's required in order to claim rugby league's oldest piece of silverware.

In contrast to the Super League concept, which only began in 1996, the Challenge Cup is over 100 years old – I remember it was the 100th anniversary the year I won with St Helens in 2001.

It’s probably one of the most enjoyable weeks. We are a northern-based game but the people love going down to London – the interaction between fans from various teams, not just those involved, is great.

Everyone knows the history from a young age whether you are an Australian or an English player – they all know the history and get excited by the occasion.

It’s a great week for the players and the coach. You go down to London early and spend a lot of time with each other (in my time with Saints, Wembley was being rebuilt so we had finals in Edinburgh and Cardiff, as well as at Twickenham). It’s important to get the players to spend time with each other, otherwise they’ll use up too much nervous energy and that does have an impact on game day.

Preparation can’t be overloaded – you need to keep the players as fresh as possible. The work done prior to kick-off determines how teams perform.

It’s also really important to have some players in the team who have experience in finals, certainly in regard to talking to them from a coaching point of view. Having that will have a calming effect on and off the field.

Some will have played in the Grand Final at Old Trafford. That game is played at the end of the year when conditions are colder, greasier and darker. A lot of Challenge Cup finals are played in really good weather with its August date.

Teams will probably play a lot freer in warmer conditions and the game will be more expansive. In the Grand Final you are really working on the go-forward and a good kicking game.

What I remember is the game goes so quickly – players have said the same too – which means your instincts are really important.

A team that puts all these pieces together will have a great chance of Wembley glory.

• Ian will deliver his Challenge Cup final betting verdict on Friday morning so be sure to click back on site then.

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