Wigan Warriors secured a resounding 40-10 victory over Hull KR in the Betfred Challenge Cup final at Wembley, avenging last season's Grand Final defeat with a dominant seven-try performance.
French Returns in Style
Bevan French marked his comeback from hamstring surgery with a try just three minutes after being introduced as a substitute in the second half. The Australian was named in Matt Peet's 21-man squad six weeks earlier than anticipated after sustaining the injury in March.
French's cameo was made possible by the outstanding display of his understudy, Jack Farrimond, who scored Wigan's first two tries and orchestrated a blistering start from which Hull KR never recovered.
Dominant First Half
Farrimond opened the scoring with a dummy and dart through the line after just five minutes. He added his second five minutes before the break, stepping between two defenders to score under the posts. Adam Keighran converted both to give Wigan a 10-0 lead.
Hull KR suffered an early blow when prop Dean Hadley was forced off with a head injury after three minutes. The Robins struggled to find their rhythm, with playmaker Mikey Lewis limping heavily.
Just before halftime, Peta Hiku grabbed a try for Hull KR after gathering a kick from Tyrone May, reducing the deficit to 10-4 at the break.
Second Half Rout
Wigan extended their lead within three minutes of the restart when Junior Nsemba touched down Harry Smith's high kick. Keighran converted and then added two tries of his own, finishing with a record-equalling 20 points from six conversions and two tries.
French scored Wigan's sixth try on his return, gliding over after a slick passing move. Luke Thompson completed the demolition with a seventh try before Sam Walters was red-carded in the final two minutes for a dangerous tip-tackle on Bill Leyland.
The 40-10 margin was the biggest in a Challenge Cup final since Leeds beat Hull KR 50-0 in 2015.
Wigan's victory vindicated coach Matt Peet's decision to rest key players in a 62-4 Super League loss to Hull KR just 10 days earlier. The win also marked French's triumphant return from surgery, having missed the previous six weeks.
