I’ve just gotten home after a long day in London, and wanted to get my thoughts down on today’s Challenge Cup final. Firstly, congratulations to the Wigan Warriors, deserved winners of the 2026 Betfred Challenge Cup. They were the better side today, and the scoreline reflects that.

Although I will say they were the better team throughout the match, it was a close encounter up until half-time. Wigan were still the team in control, but it was an arm wrestle at times, with Rovers being in the game up to that point. I believe there were two flash points that could have turned the game in the first forty minutes. Firstly, the Harry Smith high tackle on Tom Davies, which, in other games, might have seen Wigan’s number seven sat down for ten minutes. If he is dispatched to the bin for ten, the dynamic of Wigan’s defence changes, and that 10-4 halftime score is closer, and maybe even leans further towards the Robins.

Similarly, Rovers enjoyed a period of good field position on Wigan’s line in the first half, an opportunity that they failed to take advantage of, which is, in my opinion, the second flashpoint which tilted the game towards Wigan. It was a half for both defences, the first forty, and there is no better example than this; Rovers failing to break through Wigan’s goal-line defence, despite a few repeat sets.

Another aspect of today’s game was the heat. It was not a pleasant viewing experience sitting in Wembley today. The stand we were allocated was right in the sun, and it baked us mercilessly for the entire duration. If we were struggling in the heat, what chance did the players have? Undertaking strenuous exercise like rugby league in that heat seemed like no fun whatsoever. This is not to say it was entirely affecting Rovers either; there were a lot of errors in Wigan’s game too, especially in the first half, so maybe the weather got to both teams, just at different levels.

There was a lot made of both teams’ team selection in the week leading up to Wembley. Wigan dropped the (not entirely unexpected) bomb of naming Bevan French, which dominated discussion this past week, not to mention Matty Peet’s decision to name a depleted squad for last week’s game at Craven Park. Peet’s decision has ultimately paid off under the arch, as the trophy is on its way back to Wigan, and Bevan French even managed to bag a try after being introduced off the bench sixty minutes into the game. Not that Wigan even needed him, given that young Jack Farrimond walked away (deservedly, I might add) with the Lance Todd Trophy, despite making way for French.

There were also questions around Willie Peters’ team selection this week. There were a few factors at play: the fitness of Dean Hadley and Karl Lawton, the availability of Jai Whitbread, with the impending birth of his first child, among other things. Despite being passed fit to play, Hadley sadly failed a HIA early doors, which really weakened Rovers’ pack, given how much of a consistent general ‘Deano’ is. Karl Lawton was named as the eighteenth man, leaving Bill Leyland to be called into the seventeenth, as was Jack Brown, in place of Jai Whitbread.

Now, I’m not one to question a coach’s decision-making much, especially a World Club Challenge-winning coach such as Willie Peters, but the decision to let Mikey Lewis limp on after picking up a knock in the first half seems like a misstep. Having Leyland on the bench meant that he could come on as hooker, with Jez Litten moving into the halves, but this option was not taken. Now, it well may be that Lewis was given a pain-killing injection at halftime, but I still think leaving him out was a detriment to the team. He was still hampered by the injury, as shown in his performance being below his standards.

The second half was where the game was truly killed off. At half-time with the scores 10-4, it was theoretically still anyone’s game, and with Rovers tending to be strong second-half performers, it was not out of the realms of possibility that momentum could be shifted. However, Wigan scored three quick tries in the first ten minutes of the second half, and it was game over. All that was left was for Wigan to pile on the misery, and, to be fair, for Rovers to score one more consolation try.

The final talking point I want to bring up is Sam Walters’ dismissal. Put plainly: what was he thinking? His team was up by thirty points and cruising home, so what was the need? Now, to be fair, it seems like not all of the blame lay at Walters’ door¹, even though he was the one punished. Junior Nsemba also contributed to putting Bill Leyland in an extremely dangerous position. In that case, I’m sure the disciplinary panel will take a keen interest and makes you wonder why two players get it into their heads to do something so incredibly stupid when there was absolutely no need to.

In conclusion, then, it was a poor day at the office for my beloved Robins, and they were well beaten by the better side. I sincerely hope that this loss will not derail their season; it could do, or it could have the opposite effect and galvanise the team, reminding them that they’re not invincible after all. It will also be interesting to see if we see more of Bevan French in the coming weeks or whether he will return to the training room. Time will tell.

Written by Nathan Major (Site editor & Hull KR fan)

1. I would just like to point out for anyone new here, I am legally blind, so I have to rely on radio commentary to know what’s going on, hence why I can’t be sure of exactly what happened at times. It’s also why I haven’t mentioned the alleged obstruction before Wigan’s second try. I can’t see it, so I don’t know for sure. Which I think qualifies me to be a video referee. ↩︎