Wigan Warriors will be annoyed at the way Hull KR are being talked up in 2025 with one pundit assessing the gap between the two sides.
According to Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin, there is almost nothing to split Hull KR and Wigan Warriors should they turn up on their day, however, he’s noted Matt Peet’s side proven track record of lifting silverware.
He’s dubbed that as the difference between the two clear standout teams from the 2025 season with Hull KR’s only loss coming at the hands of Wigan, whilst the Warriors have only lost three times and not since March.
As such, the Robins lead Super League by two points from Wigan and they’re also set to head to Wembley this week for the Challenge Cup and Wilkin has argued that they “need to win something” to validate the fact they’re a “champion team”.
“I sense that Hull KR are a champion team,” he explained on Sky Sports‘ The Verdict.
“They’ve got all the trademarks of a team that will go one and be successful, not just this year, not just the year after, but for years to come.
“Because it’s built on doggedness and determined defence and then they’ve also got the likes of Mikey Lewis who just lights things up. It’s been a great start but they need to win something.”
Wigan Warriors’ “laser-like focus” is “scary” for Super League
By contrast, Wigan don’t need to prove to anyone their credentials of winning something. As it stands, they’ve still won the last six trophies available to them in the 2024 and 2023 Grand Finals and League Leaders Shield, as well as the 2024 Challenge Cup and World Club Challenge.
When either Hull KR or Warrington Wolves lift the Challenge Cup trophy at Wembley, it will officially end Wigan’s run of dominating silverware.
Wilkin noted their Challenge Cup exit, arguing that it adds fuel to the fire: “Worryingly, for the rest of the competition, Wigan out of the Challenge Cup means that they’re focused on Super League and how scary is that?
“It’s so scary that they’ve got this laser-like focus on the league campaign and they almost look unstoppable at times.”
Another thing that could potentially drive that focus and will “annoy” Wigan according to Wilkin is the reverence with which Hull KR are being talked about, Willie Peters’ side coming in for far more plaudits despite being just two points clear.
Wilkin argued: “Wigan are just dripped in quality and it will annoy them the way that Hull KR are being spoken about as a champion team because Wigan have won everything.
“They’re used to winning trophies, it’s what they do.”
He also pointed to Hull KR star Mikey Lewis assessing Bevan French as the better player on the basis of silverware, with Wilkin agreeing that trophies won is one of the only differences between Super League’s leading clubs.
Wilkin recalled: “Mikey Lewis, on our podcast, said that Bevan French is a better player than him because he’s been to big games and won big games and that’s really the difference between Wigan and Hull KR.
“There’s nothing between them on their day. I think if they both play their best then it’s such a tight game, as we saw in last year’s Grand Final.”
