Hull KR secured their place at Wembley for the third time in four seasons after a convincing 32-12 victory over Warrington Wolves in the Betfred Challenge Cup semi-final in Doncaster. The Robins produced a five-try performance, with Joe Burgess and James Batchelor each crossing twice, to set up a final showdown with Wigan at the national stadium on May 30.
The match was a far more straightforward affair compared to last year’s tense final, when Mikey Lewis’ last-gasp kick ended a 40-year trophy drought for the Humberside club. Now world champions and treble winners, Hull KR had to weather a tricky period either side of half-time but ultimately proved too strong for Warrington.
Half-back Tyrone May orchestrated a blistering start for Rovers, sending Batchelor through a gap to open the scoring in the third minute. Lewis converted, and though Warrington’s defence held firm to deny Burgess in the corner, a penalty from Lewis after a foul by James Bentley extended the lead. Burgess then touched down acrobatically after a sweeping move involving May and Lewis, putting Rovers 16-0 ahead.
The Wolves fought back before the break, with Joe Philbin driving their attacking momentum. A clever kick from Marc Sneyd caught the Rovers defence off guard, allowing Ben Currie to score Warrington’s first try. Sneyd’s conversion cut the deficit to 16-8, and Warrington almost struck again on the hooter, but Rhyse Martin’s effort was ruled out for an earlier infringement.
After the restart, Lewis threatened to break clear but was hauled down by Josh Thewlis after choosing to go alone instead of offloading to Burgess. Warrington dominated territory for a spell but could not add a second try, and Hull KR reasserted control when Oliver Gildart crossed in the 59th minute. Further tries from Burgess and Batchelor sealed the win, with Lewis and Rhyse Martin sharing the conversion duties.
Willie Peters’ side will now face Wigan in the Challenge Cup final, aiming to add another trophy to their growing collection. Warrington, despite improved spells in the first half, could not match the champions’ firepower and saw their Wembley dreams ended.
