Aussie coach steers Hull KR to Challenge Cup joy

Perth Now

4 hours ago

Australian coach Willie Peters has seen his Hull KR team end 40 years of hurt in a dramatic finish to the English Challenge Cup final as they beat Warrington Wolves 8-6 at a rain-lashed Wembley Stadium.
Mikey Lewis held his nerve to kick the winning conversion after Tom Davies had flopped onto Australian playmaker Tyrone May's kick to haul the Robins level against Warrington with just minutes to spare.
Lewis then stepped up to boot his side into the history books, completing a win that erased the memory of their last-gasp agony against Leigh in 2023.
Largely out-muscled by a Wire side orchestrated by the imperious Marc Sneyd, Rovers looked set for more Wembley agony as the underdogs entered the final three minutes with a four-point advantage.
But after Tom Davies stretched to touch down following an error from Aaron Lindop, it was left to Lewis - handed kicking duties in the absence of the Cup-tied Arthur Mourgue, to nail the two-pointer that sparked raucous celebrations among the red and white hordes behind the post.
"That was probably the moment when I was the most calm," insisted Sydneysider Peters, who celebrated wildly with his players - many of whom had been part of their agonising 2023 golden-point defeat to Leigh - at the final hooter less than one and a half minutes after his side had nudged back ahead.
"It was a massive moment and I believed he was going to get it because of the belief he has in himself. He's not our number one kicker but I felt really comfortable and confident when he had the ball in his hands because that was his moment."
Lewis' early penalty looked set to give Rover a slender halftime advantage before Josh Thewlis took advantage of a ricochet to give his side the lead.
Sneyd, who added a superb two points from the touchline in the second half and won the Lance Todd Trophy for man of the match, continued to dominate after the break until May's clever kick led to the late, late drama.
"It wasn't the best performance but it was gritty and that's all you need in a Cup final," added Peters.
"You need to have grit and you need to enjoy discomfort, and they certainly did that."
Deflated Warrington coach and former South Sydney NRL star Sam Burgess said he could not have asked any more from his side, who were on the verge of securing their first Wembley triumph since 2019.
Burgess, whose side were also beaten by Wigan in last year's final, said: "You don't always get what you deserve and I don't think we deserved to lose today.
"We controlled the game very well and executed the plan. Unfortunately these things can happen, we were just on the wrong side of things today."
Burgess also revealed that Australian winger Matt Dufty suffered a facial fracture which will now see him miss a chunk of the Super League season.
"Matt Dufty broke his cheek or eye socket with about 25 minutes to go and was trying to get to the end of the game, but it just popped out," said Burgess.
"We'll be without Duft for a little while but it was outstanding to try to play through the pain. It's just unfortunate we didn't get the job done for him."