Leeds Rhinos manager Brian McDermott has declared himself "proud" of his players following their Challenge Cup semi-final victory over Warrington Wolves earlier today.

The Rhinos stormed into a commanding lead at half time having scored two unanswered tries at Langtree Park, and although Warrington put in a brave effort in the second 40, Leeds proved too strong and recorded a 24-16 win.

"The first-half was huge for us; I thought we were very good in that first-half," McDermott is quoted as saying by ClubCall. "I've got to give respect to Warrington - but we were never going to be as good in the second period as we were in the first.

"We had to dig in and hold on, but it really was a classic Challenge Cup tie. It's a big game and you can see what it means to everyone - the fans were brilliant, and it really does give the players a big lift.

"I'm immensely proud to be going back to Wembley again. You've got to work hard to get there and along the way we've had to overcome some challenging teams. We'll enjoy it because to get there is an honour, and not many get to do it."

Leeds beat Warrington in the 2010 and 2012 Challenge Cup finals.