Friday 31 July 2015 23:20, UK
Leeds coach Brian McDermott hailed his side's resilience as well as their flair as they saw off St Helens to reach their fifth Wembley final in six years.
The Ladbrokes Challenge Cup holders never looked back after storming into a 12-0 lead, although they were forced to withstand a tremendous fightback before sealing a 24-14 win in the first semi-final at Warrington.
"I know it's a big call but the first 20 minutes was the best I've seen us play," McDermott said. "We got a grip of the game there and we didn't let the grip go.
"Saints threw everything at us in the second half and we had to tough it out, so all in all it was a good mix. We were holding on for dear life at times. I wouldn't say we were comfortable, we had to draw on some toughness and resilience to see it through."
Leeds scored tries through Zak Hardaker, Joel Moon, Kallum Watkins and Jamie Peacock and skipper Kevin Sinfield kicked four goals as the Super League leaders kept alive their hopes of the treble.
It means that Peacock and Sinfield will get the chance to mark their final season with a trip to Wembley, although they will not be joined by another of the club's stalwarts, back rower Jamie Jones-Buchanan, who suffered an apparent season-ending knee injury late in the game.
"He's not great," McDermott said. "The early news is that he's snapped a tendon in his patella around the outside of his knee, so we are talking months rather than weeks. You really do feel for him. He's gone through the mill in the last couple of years.
"You just wonder if he didn't play the game like he did, which is a hundred miles an hour and tipping his guts into everything, whether he would get injured.
"He landed funny on his knee but the team needed that type of carry. It's ironic that he injured himself doing what he does best for the team, which is carrying the ball forward at a million miles an hour."
Saints trailed 18-4 when Peacock burst over for his try six minutes into the second half but hugely-promising forward Andre Savelio scored one try and put centre Mark Percival over for his second of the match as they cut the deficit to just four points before Watkins went over for the clincher.
"I was disappointed with the start," St Helens coach Keiron Cunningham said. "We probably gave Leeds a little bit too much respect.
"I could see the players were gassed but I knew, if we were within a score or two at half-time, we would be in with a shot.
"We came out really well in the second half and at 18-14, the game was on, but we made the misread on Watkins, which was down to poor attention to detail, and it ended up costing us.
"Our Challenge Cup dream is over and now we jump on a plane to Catalan and we'll do our best in the Super 8s.
"I use it as a learning curve for my kids. Andre Savelio was phenomenal. He's justified his selection, he's been one of the best forwards in the team and he's growing week by week. Every cloud has a silver lining and he was our silver lining."
Cunningham will now monitor injuries to second rowers Joe Greenwood (shoulder) and Atelea Vea (knee).
