Jamie Peacock truly is a man of his word.

After six weeks out with a broken hand, the Great Britain second-rower made his return on Sunday in the 36-22 Challenge Cup victory over Wigan.

In a pre-match interview he said that if he was going to go to all the trouble of playing through the pain barrier then he wanted to make it worthwhile.

Vicious in defence, powerful on the charge and inventive in the off-load, Peacock ensured that is exactly what happened at his lucky ground, the McAlpine Stadium.

"I set my stall out early on that I wasn't just there to make up the numbers," said Peacock, who played in a plastic guard to protect the hand he broke against Hunslet Hawks in the fifth round of the cup.

"I was happy with my game out there. It was tough coming back, it was always going to be a harder game than the fans expected.

"But we got through and now we have our place in the final."

Victory came at a price, with Peacock left with severely blistered feet and six stitches in a gashed knee, unfortunately sustained in the game's final tackle with a place at the Millennium Stadium already booked.

Whether he makes it for Friday's visit from Hull will only be decided later in the week, but for now it is job done, and coach Brian Noble was proud.

"There were some pivotal performances and some fantastic displays," said Noble after the game.

"For Jamie Peacock to sit on his backside for seven weeks and come up with that was outstanding."

And Peacock wasn't the only one.

Loose forward Mike Forshaw spent a week fighting to be fit for the semi-final clash against his former club.

An arm injury picked up against Halifax made the Great Britain international a serious doubt for the game but he got through it, or so he hopes.

"That was pretty tough," said Forshaw, who spent most of the second half with his arm wrapped in ice.

"I just wonder if I have done it any harm in the long run. It is pretty sore now, but then my head is as well."

The veteran needed ten staples in his head after receiving a bang early on and is now doubtful for the visit of Hull this weekend.

Noble hinted that other players, maybe as many was six, were now struggling after the bruising game against a

"manful" Wigan side, and decisions would be made on their availability after the game.

The players were given a day off yesterday to recover.