You do not even need to step inside Wembley to understand rugby league’s lengthy and rich history with the national stadium. A statue immortalising five of the game’s greatest players – Eric Ashton, Billy Boston, Martin Offiah, Alex Murphy and Gus Risman – has pride of place outside the ground but, in an ever-changing sporting landscape, history alone is not enough to guarantee a long-term future.
That never felt more evident for the game than on Saturday, when the Challenge Cup final took in new surroundings across the capital at Tottenham. For some traditionalists, moving the cup final away from Wembley is an act of sin, tantamount to rugby league turning its back on a history and heritage of which the game is fiercely proud. But as Liam Farrell and Thomas Leuluai lifted the cup for Wigan, it was hard not to think of an alternative, post-Wembley world for rugby league.
