Wigan Warriors and Hull KR served up one of the best games you will see all season yesterday but it wasn’t without controversy.
Decided in golden point by a Brad Schneider drop goal, Hull KR were helped along by a red card for Joe Shorrocks but there could have been another when Bevan French and Abbis Miski got tangled in a tackle and there seemed to be contact with the head.
Robbie Hunter Paul said of the incident on BBC Sport: “Bevan French got tangled underneath his legs which I think has made it worse.
“It’s not as big a contact as before but it is contact with the head.”
Brian Noble responded: “I think it’s a head clash as much as anything, it’s head to head and an accident. Boy we’ve had some incidents in this game.
“Oh no, it looks like shoulder. That is dangerous.”
And Paul seemed to agree with the assessment that it was dangerous: “It’s the back of his shoulder, his head kind of whiplashes into the back of the shoulder.”
But he also felt it was a sensible decision: “I think that’s a sensible call, he was falling to the ground and was in a bad position.”
The game has been a pulsating affair in the wet. The Robins could have been forgiven for feeling hard done by when Ryan Hall pulled out of the side late before kick-off but they stood up to early pressure before a delightful scrum move saw Louis Senior slide in at the corner.
Hall’s injury saw Mikey Lewis moved to fullback and Ethan Ryan moved to the wing. Lewis showed his worth with amazing footwork to confuse the Wigan chasers when they looked to trap him in goal.
Hull KR had the better of the first half but they were behind when Jai Field was given enough space to weave through and score in the corner.
Up against it at this point in the game, Shaun Kenny-Dowall turned the game when he intercepted but sadly he couldn’t go the distance but the Robins were now building pressure.
After absorbing a spell of pressure themselves, Wigan went down field and nailed a penalty to make it 8-4.
As aforementioned, the Warriors have now added to their lead after a second penalty from Harry Smith, his third goal of the game to give them a 10-4 lead which was cancelled out by an Ethan Ryan try.
A deserved win for Hull KR and a special performance from the Robins in a brilliant semi-final, there is no getting away from the red card as the game’s big moment in the contest.
