PNG-bound coach closes in on more glory for Hull KR
Ian Chadband |
Willie Peters, the Sydneysider who will guide the PNG Chiefs in their NRL adventure, showed he still has plenty of unfinished business in England as his Tyrone May-inspired Hull KR side rampaged into another Challenge Cup final.
Peters’ Hull KR ensured they will make their third Wembley appearance in four seasons after their five tries blew away Sam Burgess-coached Warrington in a 32-12 triumph in Doncaster that offered a reminder of how he managed to create a world champion side.
In a rematch of last year’s nail-biting final against the Wolves, which was decided by Mikey Lewis’s last-gasp kick, Peters’ treble winners found it a much easier outing this time on Sunday as their three second-half tries eased their path towards a blockbuster final with Wigan on May 30.
Two tries each for Joe Burgess and James Batchelor decorated the win, but star man Lewis was again at the heart of their late charge, while his Australian half-back partner May was the game’s outstanding performer, especially at the beginning of the match when Hull KR took control.
It was May who put Batchelor through a gap to score in just the third minute, before he helped set up Burgess to pile over acrobatically halfway through the first period, and the exquisite timing of his incisive pass just before the hour put in Oliver Gildart.
May’s kicking throughout was exceptional too, with British great Jonathan Davies naming him man of the match.
“Going back-to-back in this competition is extremely hard to do and that’s where the next layer of what you are as a team comes into play,” said Peters, who will lead the Chiefs in their first season in 2028.
For the moment, though, he’s only concentrating on crossing swords again with a Wigan side they beat in the Super League grand final last October.
It will be another battle between the past two winners of the World Club Challenge, with Hull KR having beaten Brisbane 30-24 in February, and Wigan having won 16-12 against Penrith in 2024.
“Wigan have done it a number of times and I believe there’s a healthy respect between the two clubs. I think it’s a great opportunity for us to show how far we’ve come as a club,” Peters said.
The Wembley final will again have a distinct Australian flavour, set to feature Jai Whitbread, Karl Lawton, Tom Amone and May for Hull KR, while Wigan, who hammered their great rivals St Helens 32-0 in the other semi on Saturday, should boast their key trio of Adam Keighran, Jai Field and Kaide Ellis.
But their star playmaker Bevan French won’t be fit to feature in the final, still recovering from a torn hamstring.
AAP