Mikey Lewis: Hull KR half-back 'let his team-mates down' says head coach Willie Peters after shock loss to York Knights
Mikey Lewis was sent to the sin-bin for a trip on Liam Harris; York Knights scored while he was off the field on the way to a dramatic win; Hull KR coach Willie Peters came out strong post-match; Sky Sports is the only place to watch every Super League game live in 2026
Friday 13 February 2026 06:21, UK
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters said Mikey Lewis "let his team-mates" down as he was shown a yellow card in his side's 19-18 loss to newcomers York Knights in the Super League 2026 season opener.
Lewis was sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes in the 61st minute for a challenge on York's Liam Harris as he sent a kick up for his side to chase.
In that time, Sam Wood went over for his second try which Harris converted to bring the score to 18-12 with 14 minutes left on the clock.
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Then, just after Lewis returned to the field, Scott Galeano finished off a grubber kick and Harris pulled off a brilliant conversion to remarkably bring the scores level.
From there, the miraculous moments continued for the home team with Ata Hingano sending over his first career drop goal for the one-point lead, the Knights defending with all their might to hold the reigning champions out for the final four minutes and wrap up one of the biggest shock wins in Super League history as they defied the odds.
With the World Club Challenge against NRL champions Brisbane Broncos the next task for the Robins on Thursday February 19, live on Sky Sports, they face a nervy wait on whether Lewis will be able to play in the historic fixture for the club.
Peters pulled no punches in his post-match comments and was clear that Lewis had made his own bed so "had to lie in it".
"You get what you deserve in this game - and we certainly did. We didn't play bad in the first half, it was ill-discipline," Peters told Sky Sports.
"We put on a lot of pressure with the ball but couldn't score the try, which is OK, it was what we did off the back of it - a lot of penalties.
"What Mikey did, he let his team-mates down and he needs to learn from it. You'll have to ask him [what he was thinking], but he's got to learn from that.
"Whatever it [the punishment] is, it is. I'm not exactly sure what the ruling is. You make your bed, you've got to lie in it."
Lewis 'lost his rag' | Lets 'not go over the top'
For Sky Sports Rugby League's Jon Wilkin, it was a moment in which Lewis lost his cool and harped back to a time before we became used to the more "mature" style we saw from the half-back in 2025.
"It started after the Whitbread try. Lewis is verballing Harris, giving it to him," Wilkin said.
"That is not a calm international player, that's a guy who has lot his rag.
"If Harris did an expert job chipping away at Lewis and bringing about this reaction, fair play to him, because he knew that reaction was very advantageous for York."
Sam Tomkins added that it was a silly moment but it does not need to be blown out of proportion.
"It was a dumb play from Mikey. He's an emotional player at times, he gets frustrated," Tomkins said.
"But let's not go over the top with it. No one got injured, he's got a big game next week and I hope it doesn't have any repercussions."
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