Hull KR have beaten knocked out Challenge Cup holders Leigh Leopards with the Robins getting one back after last year’s Wembley defeat.
Willie Peters’ side looked out of shape in the first half and they trailed 8-4 at the break but a strong second forty minutes saw them run out as 26-14 victors with a last-minute try from captain Elliot Minchella making the score look slightly harsh on the away side.
Minchella was one of three scorers with in-form full-back Niall Evalds scoring one whilst Joe Burgess bagged a brace including a length-of-the-field effort. The Robins were also perhaps unlucky to have two tries disallowed in the first half.
It was an intense match at Craven Park with both sides clearly anxious after the build-up had focused so much on that game at Wembley in August and in spite of a 12-point margin of victory, the game was every bit as tense.
Leigh’s lack of star quality which has been diminished due to a host of injuries is probably what cost the Leopards in what was a memorable Challemge Cup tie.
Joe Burgess earned Man of the Match honours for his brace but the man at the heart of everything once again was Mikey Lewis and he has reacted post-match, labelling the victory “revenge”.
Hull KR continue impressive start to 2024
Credit: SWpix
The victory marked Hull KR’s seventh win of the season with their march to the Challenge Cup semi-finals coming alongside a record of five wins and two losses in Super League.
Key to that has been Mikey Lewis and he spoke live on the BBC post-game reacting to the team’s huge second-half turnaround.
“Yeah, unreal. Very disappointed in that first half,” the England international explained.
“In the last couple of weeks, we’ve really focused on that first half and not really done the second half. I think it was the other way today.
“It’s a different battle from the Super League season, playing in knock-out footy so we’re really happy now. That second half we can be pleased in and we’ll rest up and go again next week.”
Continuing, Lewis labelled the win as “revenge” for the loss at Wembley which showed a different attitude to the one that head coach Willie Peters had in the build-up.
Peters had stated that the team hadn’t mentioned the loss at Wembley, asking “why would I bring negative emotion up?”
For Lewis, it was the first thing on his mind, the half stating: “It’s an unbelievable moment for me and for the fans. We don’t want to dwell on last year but it gives us a taste of it. We didn’t really speak about it all week because we just wanted to do a revenge on them. We’ve done that today so we’re really happy.
The Robins will learn who they face at half-time in the St Helens and Warrington Wolves game tomorrow when the draw for the semis will be made live on BBC’s coverage of that game.
