Challenge Cup 2013: Piece of FA Cup History on Offer as Wigan Face Hull FC

The town of Wigan will celebrate a very rare piece of sporting history on Saturday if its rugby league side can emulate their footballing counterparts by triumphing at Wembley.

Wigan Warriors meet Hull FC in the Challenge Cup final, three months after Wigan Athletic won the FA Cup at the same venue.

If the Warriors can match Athletic’s success this weekend, the town of Wigan will become the first in history to land the Challenge Cup and FA Cup in the same year. Coach Shane Wane admits in the Daily Star the achievement would be a source of pride:

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We are a very proud town and a great ­sporting town. Athletic’s Wembley win was outstanding and we need to do what they did.

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In order to achieve the unlikely Double, Wigan will need to display the same level of commitment that their footballing counterparts did against Manchester City, which means every player will have to be fully focused.

This year's Man of Steel Sam Tomkins is under the spotlight as rumours persist over his future with the Warriors, including this report from Sky Sports. Tomkins has been linked to Australia's NRL, as well as a move to rugby union, but there is a feeling that he will thrive in the shop window this weekend.

Tomkins was part of the successful 2011 side and is relaxed about his team’s chances of producing a repeat, according to BBC Sport, despite five defeats in their last seven outings.

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We're third in the league and we're going to the Challenge Cup final - terrible times!

It's not like we've been performing terribly badly. We've had some tough games and a couple of blips, but that happens.

No one goes through a year playing brilliantly every week. If anything, it means we're due a top performance.

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Wigan’s bid to add the Challenge Cup to the FA Cup success of Athletic might be aided by a string of injuries to Hull FC.

Five players have been battling to prove their fitness for Saturday’s showpiece, including Tom Lineham, Danny Tickle, Kirk Yeaman, Joe Arundel and half-back Richard Horne.

The greatest fear surrounds Lineham, who may need painkilling injections in order to feature according to the Daily Star.

Wigan expect to have captain Sean O’Loughlin fit to start after a calf injury, while hooker Michael McIlorum is also expected to play.