“Robbed” – Wigan Warriors fans furious after Challenge Cup defeat

Wigan Warriors’ dreams of Wembley Stadium, a record 21st Challenge Cup and back to back Challenge Cups under Matt Peet are over after the Cherry and Whites were beaten by Hull KR at Leeds Rhinos’ Headingley Stadium.

The Robins struck first through Louis Senior in the corner off a scrum but Jai Field would cancel that out.

Wigan in fact led 8-4 at the break after a penalty but at the start of the second half came the vital moment as Joe Shorrocks was sent off for a high tackle on Mikey Lewis.

The Warriors did move 10-4 ahead after that but Ethan Ryan would sent the game to golden point.

Brad Schneider would then be the man to win the game notching a 30 metre drop to win the match for the Robins and send them to Wembley.

Wigan fans were naturally disappointed and one supporter called for wide spread change in the squad.

https://twitter.com/TommyWAFC/status/1683195901668368384?s=20

The Warriors’ game management was frequently criticised by the fans though they also felt “robbed.”

kicking on the 3rd and not even getting a bounce is criminal, officials robbed us though

— matty (@MTowert99) July 23, 2023

That said, some fans felt the Warriors simply didn’t deserve to win.

https://twitter.com/Nat_Breth15/status/1683174164981579779?s=20

This was largely down to what fans slammed as poor game management.

https://twitter.com/SimmyJ67/status/1683198871499952130?s=20

You couldn’t deny the effort from Wigan however and that was something fans noticed.

Great effort by the 12 however picking a young lad on the bench who you don't use just seems like poor planning 😤

— MaRLy23x (@MaRLy23x) July 23, 2023

This was repeated by others as well.

Gutted but well done lads 🍒⚪ …you gave everything 🍒⚪ & we will be back stronger 💪🍒⚪

— Michelle Abraham (@ChelleAbraham) July 23, 2023

Interestingly, one fan blamed decisions but not from the official but rather from the Wigan attack.

Some bad decisions close to their try line cost us that game, the charge down we didn’t get was a shocking call, too!

— BlueNose (@gazwin1) July 23, 2023

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.