Warrington Wolves’ path to Wembley victory with Hull KR weakness highlighted

Warrington Wolves face the tough task of beating Hull KR if they’re to lift the Challenge Cup trophy and we’ve plotted their path to victory.

It’s a victory that they’re not fancied to achieve with bookmakers Betfred, who sponsor the Challenge Cup, making them 11/5 to lift the trophy compared to the short 1/3 that Hull KR are.

Compare that to last year when Warrington lost to Wigan Warriors and they were made a 7/4 chance to win the game, with Castleford Tigers (2021) the last side to have odds bigger than what Wolves are this year.

The Tigers lost that day as well but for Sam Burgess’ side to avoid a similar fate, we think there are five key things that they must focus on in order to lift the Challenge Cup trophy.

It would be the club’s first victory at Wembley since 2019 and mark their 10th Challenge Cup win and here’s how we think they can do it.

What Warrington Wolves must do to beat Hull KR at Wembley

Target Mikey Lewis

If you want to neutralise your opponent then targeting their best and most influential player is an obvious start and in Mikey Lewis, there’s certainly cracks to exploit. He already has 26 try contributions this year in Super League, ranking second for tries and tied-third for assists whilst also leading the competition for clean breaks but there are weaknesses in his game.

Among those is his ability as a defender with Lewis exposed on occasions when runners are arcing around towards the attacking right edge, something Matt Dufty is very dangerous at. It’s also historically been quite easy to get under the Man of Steel’s skin and whilst Lewis is certainly controlling that more now, there’s still a weakness and Warrington have to try and hammer home on that and make it a differential.

Hull KR are dangerous all over but if you put Lewis off kilter then you take away a huge asset and it could even be worth sacrificing a player to effectively mark him out of the game and defending with twelve.

Use Marc Sneyd effectively

George Williams is set to play but how fit he will be is unclear and should he return then he is doing so faster than any rugby league player has ever done for such an injury. As such, you’ve got to lean on your other half and it just so happens Wire have a good one.

Marc Sneyd is no stranger to Wembley and the two-time winner with Hull FC will love nothing more than beating Hull KR and his kicking game will prove key. Jack Broadbent will be at full-back and whilst he’s very accomplished in the position, he’s been chopping and changing a lot so targeting him under the high ball is key.

You’d also imagine that Warrington Wolves will be under immense pressure in this game so kicking long on third and fourth to try and catch Hull KR out and potentially land a 40/20 will be massive. Despite the odds favouring Hull KR, finals are often very close so taking the two or even the drop goal whenever you have the chance is also paramount. For Wire to win it needs to be remembered as the Marc Sneyd final.

Nail the basics

Another obvious but often overlooked point when it comes to big games and finals but fundamentals will always stand you in good stead. With Hull KR likely to be applying plenty of pressure, Warrington can give them no easy territory or possession because we’ve seen the Robins just swallow teams in the second half by fatiguing them in the first.

The Challenge Cup semi-finals against Catalans were an example of that and so was the last meeting between these two sides. Keeping discipline, line speed and just completing sets is key in this game, particularly against a side as fit as Hull KR. Training for Wire this week should simply be about getting through sets, letting Marc Sneyd kick and not coughing up possession.

Slow the ruck down

Feeding into the above point is the fact that Warrington need to play this game at their own pace and that means slowing Hull KR down whenever possible. Of course, doing so can lead to penalties which contradicts the previous point but finals are often refereed differently with officials seemingly cautious to blow for penalties.

If Hull KR start winning the ruck speed battle then Warrington could find themselves in all sorts of trouble so slowing that down is vital. Commit three or four men to each tackle to ensure it cannot be a quick ruck whilst not having to lay on needlessly and give the referee an excuse to penalise you.

Make it fiery

Wembley will be a cauldron for Warrington on Saturday with Hull KR fans expected to outnumber the Wolves’ supporters by more than two to one. It’s set to be a very intense atmosphere and Warrington should embrace that by turning it on the Hull KR players.

By making the game slow and targeting the likes of Mikey Lewis, it’s easy to imagine Hull KR getting frustrated and the Robins have players in their team whose skin you can get under. Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is a wily old veteran who will try to old man you into making mistakes but the same can be done to him. Only on Friday did Willie Peters bring Elliot Minchella off the field and play with 12 for fear of the captain being sucked into little spats.

By doing all of the above, Warrington can make this game incredibly frustrating for Hull KR and that could see it boil over which only serves to suit the Wolves.

🏆 2025 @Betfred #ChallengeCup Final day is set!

👇 Join us at @wembleystadium for a brilliant day of rugby league…

— Betfred Challenge Cup (@TheChallengeCup) May 11, 2025