At half-time in this pulsating Challenge Cup quarter-final, you could have easily forgiven Hull KR fans for starting to weigh up potential opponents in the semi-finals of this year’s competition.
They had just produced a first-half display up there with their best of the season to lead the travel-sick Catalans Dragons 26-4 at the break. Given how the Dragons have won only once in England all year there seemed to be only one possible outcome.
But this is the Challenge Cup, a competition that goes in perfect harmony with drama and nervy finishes. So cue a fightback from the Dragons, who in the second half played how they usually do at their home games in Perpignan, leaving the majority of those inside the ground with barely any fingernails left come full time.
But the Rovers held on to move into their first Challenge Cup semi-final since 2006, and one win away from a first Wembley appearance since 1987. Their first-half performance alone showed that few, if any, of the other three teams to make the semis would fancy Hull KR standing between themselves and the Cup final, and they showed the character required late on to edge a thrilling contest.
“These blokes are going to be the death of me,” their coach, Chris Chester, joked. “The first half was so dominant; we put them under plenty of pressure but the second half was really sloppy. However in the cup only one thing matters and that’s the win and being in the next round of the competition.”
Catalans left themselves with too much to do after that first-half blitz from the home side, which means their sole focus is ensuring they finish inside Super League’s top eight. Once again their form in England remains a concern, which inevitably jeopardises any chance of mounting a title challenge later in the year.
“It was pretty hard to come back from, too hard in fact,” their coach, Laurent Frayssinous, said of the first-half meltdown. “I’m pretty proud because the boys had a dig to stay alive in this competition but the gap was simply too big. There were some poor things on the field from a lot of people in the first half, I watched some strange stuff in the first half. The Challenge Cup is over for us but what we can control is to ensure we finish in the top eight.”
A four-try blitz in the first half from the home side ultimately gave them the cushion they needed to progress, with Ken Sio, Kieran Dixon and Albert Kelly putting them into a commanding 18-0 lead inside the first quarter.
Catalans rallied and tried to assert some sort of authority on the game but they were helpless to prevent Hull KR’s fourth try through Graeme Horne soon afterwards.
The impressive Krisnan Inu gave Catalans something to build on at the break with a well-worked try and tension increased among the home fans after the restart with two more tries through Zeb Taia and a second for Inu.
Hull KR were on the ropes but when the impressive Kelly found Sio with a superb cut-out pass he crossed for his second and gave Hull KR some much-needed breathing space.
The Dragons would not buckle, however, and tries from Ian Henderson and Elliott Whitehead either side of a penalty goal from Josh Mantellato set up a dramatic finish. But Catalans simply could not make up for their shocking first-half performance.
Teams
Hull KR Dixon; Sio, Salter, Welham, Mantellato; Blair, Kelly; Walker, Boudebza, Puletua, Larroyer, Horne, McCarthy. Interchange Lunt, Donaldson, Greenwood, Tilse Tries Sio 2, Dixon, Kelly, Horne. Goals Mantellato 6. Catalans Escaré; Inu, Gigot, Pomeroy, Yaha; Robin, Dureau; Bousquet, Henderson, Casty, Taia, Whitehead, Baitieri. Interchange Anderson, Mounis, Pelissier, Garcia Tries Inu 2, Taia, Henderson, Whitehead. Goals Dureau 3
