Hull Kingston Rovers overpowered Warrington Wolves 32-12 in the Betfred Challenge Cup semi-final, booking a Wembley showdown with Wigan Warriors.
The defending champions dominated the opening 25 minutes, racing to a 14-0 lead with tries from James Batchelor and Joe Burgess. Mikey Lewis added both conversions and a penalty. Warrington briefly fought back with Ben Currie’s try, but Hull KR’s relentless defense and quick tackle work stifled the Wolves’ efforts.
Oliver Gildart scored the first try of the second half, and with Lewis slotting a penalty, Burgess and Batchelor each grabbing their second tries, Sam Stone’s late score for Warrington proved meaningless.
Rovers entered the match at Doncaster’s Eco-Power Stadium as Super League’s form team, with six consecutive wins across all competitions after a shaky start to their title defense. They faced a Warrington side that had lost key players George Williams, Cai Taylor-Wray, and James Harrison to injury, yet still won four of their last five matches.
Hull KR, however, rediscovered the dominance that carried them through last season and to the World Club Challenge in February. They applied pressure from the start, capitalizing on a Josh Thewlis error to hammer at Warrington’s defensive line before Batchelor strolled through a gap. Thewlis redeemed himself with a try-saving tackle on Burgess, but Lewis added a penalty, and Burgess finished spectacularly in the corner.
Warrington aimed to reach halftime without further damage, but a Marc Sneyd high kick caused Lewis and Jack Broadbent to collide, with Currie pouncing on the loose ball. The first try after the break proved crucial, and Hull KR powered ahead as Gildart crossed. Two successful captain’s challenges brought a penalty for Rovers, which Rhyse Martin kicked, and Burgess added another try in the corner.
Stone raced onto Matty Ashton’s kick to give Wire fans a moment to cheer, but Batchelor’s second try, following a delicate grubber kick from the excellent Tyrone May, sealed Hull KR’s superiority.
**Hull KR coach Willie Peters told BBC Two:**
“Very happy. I thought we did a lot of work in that first half. Warrington scrambled really well, and they probably went into halftime with a lot of confidence even though we were eight points ahead. We had to build it again in the second half, and I liked the patience we showed. I thought we dominated that first half. I liked how we attacked the second half. We spoke about Wigan’s performance yesterday before the game. All big games are won on defense.”
**Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess told BBC Two:**
“We really didn’t get into the game early on and didn’t build any momentum. We will take plenty of lessons from this. We went away from things that had been working for us.”