Chris Chester adamant Hull KR can defeat Leeds Rhinos in Challenge Cup final

Hull KR coach Chris Chester believes his team have what it takes to beat Leeds Rhinos after guiding them to their first Challenge Cup final since 1986.

Man-of-the-match Josh Mantellato scored one of the Robins' four tries and kicked five goals as they upset the form book with a 26-18 win over Warrington in the second semi-final at Headingley.

Rovers ended the regular Super League season with four straight defeats and must now battle to retain their top-flight status in the Super 8s, but that will be of little immediate concern to their army of fans as they prepare to face holders Leeds at Wembley on August 29.

"I'm really proud of the boys' efforts, especially towards the end," Chester said. "It was backs to the wall but they found a way to win.

"People have written us off all year but there is still a lot of confidence and belief in this group and we now want to go one further.

"I got a bit emotional in the dressing room, it means a lot to a lot of people."

Leeds, who were impressive 24-14 winners over St Helens in the first semi-final, will be favoured by many to retain their trophy, but Chester is confident of pulling off another upset.

"They're the best team in the competition but we've proved in one-off games this year we can beat anybody," he said.

Hull KR chairman Neil Hudgell praised the efforts of his coach, who stepped up from his role of assistant when Australian Craig Sandercock was sacked just over 12 months ago.

"It's been a long time coming and I'm pleased for the supporters because I'm one of them and I know about the pain," said Hudgell, who estimates his club will take between 25,000 and 30,000 fans to Wembley.

"The person I'm most pleased for is Chris. It's a goldfish bowl and it's very easy for the pressure to crank up. It's a monumental achievement for Chris.

"But no one remembers a beaten finalist so we've got to up our game and try to make some history for the club."

Warrington made a perfect start with a try in the second minute from centre Ryan Atkins but coach Tony Smith was disappointed with the way they fell away.

"We got off to a good start and then lost some control," Smith said. "We lost the tempo of the game which became stop-start and it suited Hull KR. We didn't make the adjustments when the game was so slow.

"They played to the situation and deserved to win. We didn't play as well as we needed to. We made some hard work of our defence, we leaked a couple of softies."

Warrington lost winger Gene Ormsby with a broken jaw and he will under surgery over the weekend while forward Ben Harrison went off early in the game with concussion.