As Hull KR and Leigh Leopards battled in the Challenge Cup Final there was a fair few controversial moments.
Hull KR were denied a penalty try as Tom Opacic tried to capitalise on a mistake from Tom Briscoe but was tripped up by Lachlan Lam in an incident deemed accidental by Liam Moore.
Then Elliot Minchella was sin binned for a late hit on Ben Reynolds in a decision that was heavily scrutinised.
Given the size of the game, it was always clear that every decision would be put under the microscope but oddly one moment wasn’t.
Some people have looked back on the footage and believe Lachlan Lam possibly fumbled the ball over the line for a try.
This was highlighted on social media by a Hull KR fan and eventually former official Ian Smith was tagged into it.
However, he shut down any suggestion it was wrongly awarded.
He said: “Put all those angles together and it’s a try, Chris was in a great position to see it grounded so no need to pass it onto the video referee.”
Put all those angles together and it’s a try, Chris was in a great position to see it grounded so no need to pass it onto the VR pic.twitter.com/NzGw1S6kbt
— Ian Smith (@Iansmith2468) August 12, 2023
All told, it was a great game as Hull KR struck first. Elliot Minchella gave away that penalty but immediately made amends as he broke through and found Jez Litten in support to score.
A Tom Briscoe error nearly led to a Tom Opacic try as the ball was kicked ahead. Opacic was then tripped up by Lachlan Lam who went for the ball but it was deemed an accident and no penalty try was given.
Leigh then said anything you can do we can do better as Kai O’Donnell broke through in similar fashion finding Lachlan Lam in support to score.
Minchella’s strange day kept going as he was penalised for a hit on Ben Reynolds and the Leopards took a 10-6 lead as Hull KR went down to 12 men.
Hull KR then nailed a penalty of their own on the stroke of halftime to make it 10-8.
The second half started as the first one ended with a Hull KR penalty as Hull KR drew level at 10-all.
It was then a very tense second half as neither side gave each other an inch. Try scoring sensation Josh Charnley had a chance when he got the ball wide but was held up.
Tom Briscoe scores tries at Wembley like it’s his backyard. Today was his eighth Challenge Cup Final try in his fifth final appearance and his eighth in the last four. He struck a decisive blow in the corner for the Leopards after a sweeping move.
But that try was cancelled out when Parcell touched down to score in the 79th minute after a kick bounced off Zak Hardaker.
However, in the end it was Leigh who will lift the Challenge Cup after a golden point drop goal from Lachlan Lam won the game for the club.
