Wigan's pedigree has Noble worried

If anyone should be wary of Wigan in the Challenge Cup, it is Brian Noble. On six occasions as a player, the Bradford coach faced Wigan in the game's oldest competition and six times he was on the losing side – including the most one-sided semi-final of all time, when Bradford were beat 71-10 at Bolton in 1992.

Small wonder then that he talks of Wigan being huge underdogs at Huddersfield with tongue firmly in cheek.

"I've got vivid memories of that game. I still have nightmares about it. 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.