After watching Willie Peters’ Hull KR side take Wigan apart last Friday night and then dismantling St Helens yesterday, the question is now being asked can they go all the way?
There’s no doubt that Rovers are the team of the season so far, and have a real chance of going back to Wembley in the Cup when they take on Wigan in 3 weeks in a repeat of last year’s semi-final. If they get there you’d fancy them right now against Huddersfield or Warrington, and the chance to make up for last year’s devastating loss to Leigh in the final.
But the cup is a one-off competition that has had 7 different winners in the last 7 years, the Grand Final is another matter altogether. Whilst the League Leaders Shield has had four first-time winners since 2011, showing just how open Super League is.
By contrast, there hasn’t been a first-time winner at Old Trafford in the Grand Final since Leeds in 2004. Only four teams have ever won the Grand Final in the salary cap era, a truly incredible statistic.
Hull KR have yet to show they have what it takes to make the Grand Final, the playoffs are a fierce punishing test at the end of a long season, the big teams significantly raise their intensity and the schedule is tough. Beat Wigan, and six days later you could be in France. Win that and eight days later you have to face Saints in front of 70,000 at the Theatre of Dreams.
In the Challenge Cup you win a big game, and you have three weeks till the next one with the pressure of knock-out rugby put to one side whilst Super League takes precedence.
For all Hull KR have put in the performances of the season in dismantling the current World Club Champions last week and then following it up with another epic win over St Helens, those two games followed their worst performance of the season at Catalans. That’s a prime example of something you can’t afford to do at the business end of the season, that is the worry for clubs like Rovers, can they do it three games in a row? The likes of Wigan and St Helens, and Leeds a few years ago, have proved despite poor performances in the season that they can do this, the rest have yet to show us they can.
To even have a chance of getting to Old Trafford you feel you have to be aiming for a top-two spot, last year was proof of just how important this is. Surely St Helens would have beaten Catalans had that semi-final been on home soil? The squad depth at Craven Park will probably count against Hull KR here, so it would be on the road in the playoffs. That makes the trip to Old Trafford so much harder but they do remain the most likely new name on the trophy.
But as for an answer to the original question, yes of course they should be respected. The job Peters has done there is nothing short of miraculous and there is a real chance he’ll be bringing the Challenge Cup back from Wembley in June. Craven Park is the place to be on a Super League weekend as the team play a fast vibrant style of rugby from the first whistle, they’re certainly the most exiting project in Super League right now under Willie Peters.
