Prior to the game, Wigan legend Martin Offiah described the final as being an “unofficial World Club Challenge” given that Wigan and Hull KR are the past two winners of that competition – and the tie did plenty to earn that moniker.
It was a bruising battle in the heat and yet it was genuinely impressive that the first half brought 14 points in the conditions and with such high energy action on show.
Wigan had raised some eyebrows last week when, in a Super League fixture against the Robins which teed up Saturday’s final, boss Matt Peet had named a whopping 10 changes to his side ahead of their 62-4 thrashing.
Yet there was further surprising team news to come as French, who had been set to miss four months of the season with a hamstring tear in March, came back into the matchday squad and was named on the bench.
Likewise, Hull KR named Leyland on their bench, as his pair of tries while on a short-term loan with St Helens saw him help clinch a comeback win over Wigan in their Super League derby on Good Friday.
That defeat and subsequent reaction, inspired Peet’s side to a 32-0 victory over Saints in the final to set up their place in Saturday’s final, with Peet also saying that St Helens had “lost their identity” following Leyland’s part in their Easter win.
Yet if there were any lingering fears that Wigan would falter and slip to what would have been an embarrassing defeat in light of last week’s line-up, they were put to rest early on.
Wigan were at their very best for virtually the entire 80 minutes, but it was their second-half showing that inspired their win – with the 13-minute period where Nsemba and Keighran’s double came being the turning point.
Hull KR were undone in that spell by three moments of genius, the first being Farrimond’s pinpoint kick to Nsemba, Smith’s perfectly weighted kick to Keighran and Keighran’s run to evade the Robins defence to score.
French’s try on his return may steal the headlines, yet this was a rounded team performance the like of which draws parallels with their wonderful 2025 season.
In addition to the brilliance, the game ended on a sour note for Wigan, as Walters saw red with Nsemba also involved in the reckless move on Leyland with the game virtually at its conclusion.
