Robins head coach was pleased to see his side end talk they can’t handle the champions when it matters most.
Willie Peters admitted he enjoyed watching his Hull KR players prove doubters wrong. The Robins put one hand on the League Leaders’ Shield after an enthralling top-of-the-table clash.
They moved six points clear of second-placed Wigan with just five rounds left to play after a thrilling 10-6 win at Brick Community Stadium. But, crucially, they also ended an irritating four-match losing streak against Matty Peet’s side which included last year’s Grand Final and Challenge Cup semi.
Many people reckoned Rovers would again struggle to defeat the reigning champions in a big contest. But Peters – who saw Tom Davies produce a crucial try-saving tackle on Liam Marshall in the dying seconds – admitted: “I enjoy watching the players prove some people [who] want to doubt us wrong.
“But we are certainly not motivated by people saying you can’t win at Wigan or you haven’t won in four games. It’s about ticking those things off, growing as a team and staying committed.
“The players worked extremely hard and they were committed tonight, and that’s what is needed against a team like Wigan because you know they are going to come at some stage.
“Any team that comes here and gets two points, they need to work extremely hard for it. For us, it’s not the be all or end all winning here. But we were looking for a performance. And we got that.”
Many people expect these sides to clash again in October’s Grand Final but there is, of course, plenty of more action before then. Challenge Cup winners Rovers led 8-0 at the break after Dean Hadley’s tenth minute try and two Rhyse Martin goals but should really have been much further ahead.
A combination of Wigan’s steely defensive resolve and some questionable decisions meant the champions remained in it. When Warriors skipper Liam Farrrell tackled counterpart Elliot Minchella without the ball as he chased Jez Litten’s grubber in the 35th minute, it looked potentially like a penalty try.
But Liam Moore only deemed it a yellow card and penalty, which duly Martin kicked. Wigan, though, had their own complaints when Rovers prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves escaped unpunished after appearing to lead with his elbow in the 46th minute.
Warriors’ England front-row Tyler Dupree needed an HIA because of it – two minutes after Adam Keighran had also gone off for one after team-mate Jai Field ran into him. Both returned to the field but it only added to the mayhem for the hosts.
Much of it was self-inflicted, though, with a series of glaring handling errors as they crumbled under Rovers’ relentless defence. Martin extended the lead with a 57th minute penalty. After Joe Burgess spilled Harry Smith’s bomb, Keighran shrugged off Martin for a 73rd minute try, their only real chance of the half.
He converted but Peet insisted: “Overall, I think the best team won. Both teams gave it everything. If we’d have got it at the end, it probably would have been against the run of play.”