Hull KR saw their first-ever chance at a Grand Final win slip through their hands as Wigan Warriors defeated them 9-2 with one moment pinpointed.
In a tight and tense affair that saw Super League’s top two teams separated by just seven points, it seemed that experience was the order of the day with the calm and collected Wigan able to stick to their basics and get the job done.
If it were a boxing match then you’d argue Wigan were able to ‘old man’ Hull KR with their big-game know-how coming into effect, particularly as the clock ticked on and the pressure for points piled on the Robins.
Wigan took a 7-0 lead into halftime with Bevan French’s brilliant try followed up by a Harry Smith drop goal, something that would prove pivotal and clearly influenced a major Hull KR decision.
With the lead at two scores, courtesy of the one-pointer, Hull KR opted to take the two points from the tee when earning a penalty just 15 yards out and just 15 minutes into the second half and it’s something that has split fan opinion.
Were Hull KR right to kick for two when 7-0 down?
The obvious benefit of taking the two is that it reduced the Wigan lead to just five, thus making it a one-score game again. It would have also potentially settled any remaining Hull KR nerves as they got on the board.
A major downside to taking the two was the fact that it saw Rovers forfeit their best territory since the opening 20 minutes of the game, declining the chance to have six shots at Wigan’s line.
Making matters worse, Hull KR would forfeit a penalty of their own just six minutes later with Keighran’s penalty eradicating any gains made through the boot of Mikey Lewis.
Fans have now had their say, commenting on the Serious About Rugby League Facebook page, on the matter of whether Willie Peters‘ side made the right or wrong decision.
Mark Hakeney argued: “No. 2 points might have been guaranteed but to have 6 to go that close to the Wigan line was a better option imho. Even without scoring initially a decent play on tackle 5 or 6 would have sustained pressure with another 6 to go.”
Mick Foster would respond to that comment: “Rubbish. Get the game back to 1 score. If he misses at goal, it’s ball back.”
Andrew Dunn agreed with the decision: “Yes. Wigan kicked for 1, we kicked for 2, they kicked for 2. All because the scoreboard was moved from 1 to 2 or 2 to 1 scores gap each time so both side knew it was tight and chose sensible options at that point in the match.”
Jason Gibson said: “If that was my team I’d be disappointed with the decision. Showed they were struggling to get over the line and tells Wigan that we don’t know how to break your defence and score.”
Liam Anfield labelled the decision as “small club mentality”, posting: “Small club mentality. Couldn’t break Wigan down so decided to ensure they didn’t get nilled.”
Gaz Parkinson agreed: “Small team mentality. Saint Helens would have taken the set of 6, but a small team panicking would always take the 2. Absolute mistake. You would think the years best coach would know how to manage the game to be fair.”
It’s fair to say that opinion was split but Simon Gallagher perhaps summed the situation up the best as he stated: “There is no right or wrong answer. Wigan are a special team and it was always going to be hard to beat them. Hull KR have had an exceptional season and will learn from this.”