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5 hours ago
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Perhaps the biggest compliment you can pay Hull KR these days is that Willie Peters’ side are not only a regular presence in these kind of games, but they are now learning how to handle them like the very best.
There was no escaping the fact that with half-time approaching here in York, Rovers were locked in a fascinating battle with Catalans. The Dragons had battled superbly to go 12-10 ahead and it was not unreasonable at that stage to ask whether the Robins could have been in danger of an upset.
However, if there is one thing we have learned about this side in recent years on their journey to becoming one of Super League’s major players, it is that they can often find an answer to a question posed. This was perhaps the most emphatic display of them all yet as, from that stage, they ran in 26 unanswered points.
Of course, there is still one hurdle left to conquer: the biggest one of them all. For 40 years, Hull KR supporters have had to wait for a major trophy but in truth, they have never been this tantalisingly close. They have now reached three of the last five major finals in league and cup – and next month, whoever it is they are facing at Wembley, they will be favourites to finally end that wait.
As they can attest to more than anyone else, it is that game which is the hardest to win. The one where the prize is so close you can almost reach out and touch it. But the Robins, in front of almost 10,000 of their own supporters in York, showed they most certainly belong on the big stage.
The more of these occasions they reach, the more they are showing they know how to handle them, too. Peters said: “I believe this group can have a legacy over the next 10 years with what they do now. I’m hoping that’s us winning a trophy.”
Catalans would have been quietly confident they could have caused a shock when leading by two here thanks to tries from Reimis Smith and Luke Keary. But Mikey Lewis’ try to nudge Hull KR back ahead at the break, after two tries from James Batchelor had earlier put them 10-0 up, felt decisive.
The Dragons wilted in that second half, conceding a further 20 points without reply but their coach, Steve McNamara, took aim at the match officials after they failed to receive a single in-play penalty all afternoon. “I’m pissed off,” he said.
“Hull KR were the best team and Hull KR deserved to win,” he said. “But how on earth you can go 80 minutes and not get one penalty or set restart, it’s nearly impossible in this game. Tell me how it happened.”
But despite those protestations, McNamara was keen to insist the best team won, and few could argue. Rovers ground Catalans down for most of that second half and when Jack Broadbent cut through a wilting Dragons defensive line to open up a 12-point lead, the dam burst.
Broadbent then scored his second five minutes later and, by the time Joe Burgess broke free to score in the final minutes, the game had long since been decided. This was another significant afternoon for this side: now, once again, the biggest step of them all awaits.
