I just remembered Gene Miles smashing through all those white-shirted bodies and Martin Offiah scoring five tries,'' Noble says. "I just thought 'Wow, what a team'.''Nobody is saying that about Wigan at the moment, but that only makes them more dangerous in Noble's book. "I don't think there's such a thing as an underdog in a semi-final. It comes down to emotion, desire and who wants it the most."Professional sport is littered with examples of underdogs winning.
All the stories saying that Wigan can't win – what motivation that is for them. They will still have 10 internationals on the field.''In truth, the current Wigan squad is richer in future internationals than in current ones. Unlike Leeds this season, for example, the balance between potential and proven, hard-headed professionalism is slightly askew.Players like Sean O'Loughlin and Gareth Hock had the look not just of Great Britain players but of Test regulars in the not too distant future, but too much is being asked of them at present. A combination of injuries and departures forced by the salary cap means that there is no way of taking the young guns out of the firing line at a time when it would be doing them a favour.That exposes Wigan to the risk of something that has not happened to them for a generation. Unless they can create a mighty upset at the McAlpine Stadium this afternoon, they will lose a Challenge Cup semi-final for the first time since 1968 – before any of the present team were born."They can't blame me for that,'' jokes the Wigan coach, Stuart Raper.
Nor will it really be his fault if today's game goes according to form; Noble simply has a lot more to work with at the moment.Raper could still be in for a rough ride. Wigan are 10-1 to win the cup – unimaginable odds at this stage for cup holders with their tradition in the competition, but probably a fair reflection of the new balance of power. It could be a couple of years before they are challenging for trophies again and the Wigan crowd is not noted for its patience.. When Llanelli reflect on their defeat by Perpignan at Stradey on Friday night, two moments of madness by Salesi Finau and Dafydd Jones in the first 10 minutes will weigh heavily as the reason they threw away a place in the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup.
It was a time for a cool head, a calming influence who would have restored a structure that would still have made them a winning force.But they panicked, and even though they fought back like fury they lacked the patience that I am sure would have gained them a tight victory.That they didn't do this was a failure on the part of their more experienced players, but there was also another factor – an element of team rustiness that proved fatal. Not being able to play their full side during the Six Nations contributed to their undoing. Before the internationals began Llanelli were a very good, highly tuned side. But because their best players were on duty for Wales they had to switch off, and it removed their edge. I am not doubting the importance of the Welsh cause, but to commandeer players completely and not allow them to play for their clubs is not a good idea.England won the Grand Slam and still allowed their players to play at club level.