Peet so proud as cup kings Wigan flex muscles
WEMBLEY beckons once again for Challenge Cup kings Wigan, who will bid to lift the trophy for a record-extending 21st time after demolishing Hull KR.
Matt Peet’s men suffered an agonising semi-final defeat against the Robins last year, but this rematch in Doncaster was barely even a contest.
The Super League champions were 24-0 up and in total control at half-time, having scored five tries against Willie Peters’ side in the South Yorkshire sunshine.
Rovers’ errors were brutally punished by a formidable Wigan outfit who will now face Huddersfield or Warrington — who meet in the second semi-final today — at Wembley on June 8.
Wigan already hold the Super League trophy, League Leaders’
Shield and World Club Challenge. Now rugby league’s oldest and most prestigious silverware could soon be under lock and key and head coach Peet said: ‘I’m proud. Not many people backed us, but we did enough to get the win.
‘I just love working with this group and we’ll start thinking about Wembley soon because it’ll come around quickly.
‘Last year’s semi-final defeat to
Hull KR hurt, but we learned a lot that day and I feel we’ve improved since then.
‘I’d love to win at Wembley because you can’t talk about Wigan’s history without mentioning the Challenge Cup.’
Certainly it will take something special to stop the Cherry and Whites, who lifted the Challenge Cup eight years on the spin between 1988 and 1995.
Those successes came during the club’s era of dominance with stars such as Shaun Edwards, Andy Gregory, Ellery Hanley and Martin Offiah.
Now they can count on talents such as Jai Field and Bevan French, who helped orchestrate a one-sided first half.
England centre Jake Wardle finished strongly for Wigan’s opener and winger Abbas Miski touched down before further scores from Junior Nsemba, Miski and Harry Smith. After the break, Rovers replied through ex-Warriors winger Joe Burgess but tries from Tyler Dupree and Wardle reinforced Wigan’s superiority.
A clash between Tom Opacic and Adam Keighran saw the rival Aussie centres sinbinned during the final quarter.
Peters, whose side were beaten in year’s Challenge Cup final by Leigh in golden-point extra-time, admitted: ‘Wigan are the world champions. They showed they’re the benchmark.’
HOLDERS St Helens Women beat York Valkyrie 32-2 to set up a Challenge Cup final against Wigan or Leeds.