Challenge Cup: Hull KR claim final place with victory over Catalans Dragons in York

Jack Broadbent scored twice as Hull KR booked a Challenge Cup final place after victory over Catalans Dragons

Hull KR earned the chance to lay the ghosts of their 2023 Wembley heartbreak to rest after booking a swift return to the Challenge Cup final with a 36-12 win over Catalans Dragons in York.

Two early tries from James Batchelor swiftly put the Robins in command, and after surviving a first-half scare, Willie Peters' men closed out the win in style with a brace for Jack Broadbent and a late effort from winger Joe Burgess.

It means Rovers, for whom Mikey Lewis also contributed a try and six kicks, are one more win away from ending a 40-year wait for major silverware, and erasing the memories of their painful golden-point defeat to Leigh in the final two years ago.

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The Super League leaders had dominated the early exchanges but were forced to withstand a stirring comeback from the French side, who were aiming to upset the form book and seal their own first trip to Wembley since they made history by beating Warrington to win the Cup in 2018.

Backed by almost all of a record 8,402 LNER Stadium crowd, Rovers started superbly with Batchelor crossing twice in the opening 15 minutes, first when he took advantage of an error by rookie Catalans full-back Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet, before pouncing for his second after Lewis had slipped through the Dragons' defence and had the ball punched from his grasp.

The ease with which Rovers had eased into double figures, courtesy also of two Lewis conversions, will have set alarm bells ringing for Catalans coach Steve McNamara, but out of nowhere the underdogs reduced the deficit.

Their moment was worth the wait, as centre Reimis Smith latched on to a pass from Theo Fages and spurted through a gap in the Robins' back line for a try which, once converted by the settling Aispuro-Bichet, reduced the deficit to four.

All of a sudden Rovers were rocking, and when Tommy Makinson's kick on the last just past the 25-minute mark caused havoc, Jez Litten could only palm the ball into the path of Luke Keary, who snatched Catalans' second.

A second conversion incredibly put Catalans in front, but Rovers restored their lead five minutes later when the busy Lewis converted his own try, which came after a sweeping right-to-left move involving Tyrone May and Jai Whitbread.

Lewis gave his side further breathing space with a penalty early in the second half, and a subsequent period of intense Rovers pressure finally paid off in the 55th minute when Burgess fed Broadbent who darted over on the diagonal, with Lewis' kick taking them closer to sealing a Wembley return.

Nick Cotric spurned Catalans' last hope with a forward pass on the last tackle, and with 10 minutes to go Rovers belatedly made the game safe when Broadbent streaked over for his second, then Burgess sailed over for the sixth and last in front of the jubilant ranks of Rovers supporters.

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