Hull KR ended a 40-year wait for a major trophy – defeating Warrington Wolves 8-6 to win the Challenge Cup final on Saturday afternoon.
An even contest, the game wasn’t settled until the 78th minute, with Tom Davies drawing the game level after Josh Thewlis’ opener in the first half. It was then left to Mikey Lewis to slot over the winning conversion – sending the Robin half of Wembley wild.
But the game was won with loads of little efforts throughout the match. That was shown in Rovers’ defence, who repelled Warrington time and time again. The Wire had the chances to seal the game after taking a 6-2 half-time lead, but they didn’t take them. That has to go down to Rovers’ defence.
They were gritty, and they were desperate – and they got the job done. Those big efforts are shown in numbers here.
Match Stats
Possession
Wire 53% – Rovers 47-%
Completion
Wire 83% – Rovers 79%
Possession in opposition 20
Wire 06:41 – Rovers 03:59
Runs
Wide 196 – Rovers 188
Metres
Wire 1,708 – Rovers 1,743
Breaks
Wire 2 – Rovers 1
Errors
Wire 9 – Rovers 11
Penalties conceded
Wire 4 – Rovers 2
Tackles
Wire 341 – Rovers 381
Missed Tackles
Wire 26 – Rovers 31
Tackles
You win a cup final 8-6 with a 78th-minute winning try after absorbing so much pressure, and your head coach is bound to mention one word: grit. Willie Peters isn’t daft, and the gritty numbers are shown in three of his big forwards. Elliot Minchella led the way with 57 tackles, while Jai Whitbread and Dean Hadley made 53. Huge efforts.
Metres
In a war of attrition with both teams relying on their kicking games, it’s no surprise that the back three on both sides clocked up the metres. Rovers winger Tom Davies got the winning try and became an immortal, but his overall effort was huge. He ran for a highly impressed 241 metres. Elsewhere, Warrington full-back Matt Dufty ran for 234, while his opponent Jack Broadbent made 231.
Runs
No surprise again to see Davies and Broadbent leading the way here with 25 and 24 carries. They got through a mountain of work. Warrington centre Toby King also ran for 194 metres and led the Wire’s carry total with 22.
Kicks in Play
Obviously, Wire kicking supremo Marc Sneyd led the way here with 25. His kick – via a deflection – set up Thewlis for the opening score, while his 20/40 was out of the top drawer. Sneyd, as he always is on the big occasion, was immense. Mikey Lewis also stepped up in the kicking department, getting plenty of hang time on his high bombs. He kicked 19 times. The next best were George Williams with six and Tyrone May with four. But it’s Lewis’ decisive conversion that will live long in the memory.