Superstar halves and departing head coaches have lent extra intrigue to a rivalry that requires little additional hype as domestic rugby league’s two modern giants prepare to go head to head at Wembley for the first time.
Saturday’s Betfred Challenge Cup final could see Wigan playmaker Bevan French make a remarkable return just three months after sustaining a hamstring injury that required surgery, after the 30-year-old was named in Matt Peet’s 21-man squad.
Meanwhile, defending treble-winners Hull KR are determined to secure the first stage of a rousing send-off for Willie Peters, the architect of the club’s dramatic revival, who will leave to join the new NRL franchise PNG Chiefs at the end of the campaign.
Rovers’ recent ascendency has shunted aside more traditional and longer term domestic rivalries, making ties between the two teams, who have contested each of the last two Super League Grand Finals, eagerly anticipated affairs at the best of times.
Rovers have shrugged off a rocky start to the current campaign to hit form at the right time and stand-off Tyrone May, arguably the outstanding player of the season so far, admits confirmation of Peters’ departure has helped fuel his side’s fight to retain their trophies.
“It was a bit of a gut-punch but I’m happy for him,” said May of the Australian head coach, who hauled him to east Hull from Catalans Dragons in 2024, and whom he counts as someone who has done more than most to re-shape a once inconsistent career.
“Selfishly I wanted him to stay but as a mate away from the field I think he deserves it. I don’t see anyone who lives and breathes the game hard than him.
“He’s given me more responsibility. I think he knew I was a bit different to the players he’d had before, and he kept giving me more and more.
“Knowing that this is his last time at Wembley makes it an important one, not just for him, but for the team to prove that we’re not just one-hit wonders.”
May was one of the few Rovers players rested for last Thursday’s relatively facile 62-4 win over the Warriors at Craven Park, for which, in contrast to the hosts, Peet opted to rest almost all his regular starters with the exception of forward Patrick Mago.
While few, if not any, of those who earned a tough early-career reality check will figure at Wembley, they will no doubt be inspired by their club’s continuing production line of young talent, with 20-year-old winger Noah Hodkinson the latest to be handed his big-game bow on Saturday.
Hodkinson has played only four Super League games since stepping in for the injured Liam Marshall in March, and his ascent mirrors exactly that of his opposite winger Zach Eckersley, who had played the same number of top-flight games before replacing Adam Keighran in the 2024 final.
Peet has full confidence in Hodkinson’s ability to step up to the plate, emulating both Eckersley and Jack Farrimond, another academy prospect who is growing in stature by the week having moved into the halves to replace the stricken French this season.
“Noah and Jack have earned the right to play this week,” said Peet. “They’ve helped us get there with their performances along the way.
“I think Noah has been outstanding since he’s come into the team. He’s only played a few games for us but he’s taken it all in his stride and it’s amazing how quickly a player can get comfortable. That is a credit to the coaching he’s had in the reserves and the academy.”
Peet has remained tight-lipped over whether French, who sustained his injury against Toulouse in March, will play a significant part in the Wembley showpiece, which could potentially put him at risk for the remainder of the Super League campaign.
Meanwhile, Rovers’ key doubt is over forward Jai Whitbread, who did not travel with the squad to London on Thursday as his partner is due to give birth, and is understood to be unlikely to figure in the final as a result.
