Hull KR head coach Willie Peters conceded his side have to be more clinical if they want to stand a chance of dethroning defending champions Wigan in next Saturday’s Betfred Super League Grand Final.
Two tries from Oliver Gildart helped Rovers set up a repeat of the 2024 Old Trafford showpiece with a 20-12 win over St Helens at Craven Park but the home side’s missed opportunities helped leave the result in doubt until the dying stages.
Wigan had looked much more assured in their own semi-final win over Leigh and Peters said: “The team we’re playing next week ice their moments, and that was the difference with last night’s game and last year’s Grand Final.
“Bevan French and icing the moment – that’s what it came down to, and that’s what we’ve got to do better. We need to go up another level. Individuals need to do that and we need to do that collectively.”
Rovers looked on song as they built a 12-0 half-time lead though tries from Mikey Lewis and Joe Burgess, but Saints, who had offered next to no threat in the first period, belatedly stirred and Deon Cross’s effort soon after the break gave them a flicker of hope.
The hosts eventually laboured to victory, and Peters added: “I was happy with the first half, the way we suffocated our opponents and applied a lot of pressure, and we should have been up more in the first half.
“We were just over-playing a little bit, we went away from what worked and put ourselves under pressure. But I’m really happy we found a way to win that game.”
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens said he was convinced his side could summon another stirring comeback after Cross went over to temporarily reduce the deficit to six points.
With last week’s heroic win at Leeds still fresh in the mind, the nerves were clear to feel at Craven Park, but Wellens was left to rue their failure to seize the moment.
“The real frustration is for the first 40 minutes they had a stranglehold on us, and the second half we started with a stranglehold on them and we let it go,” said Wellens. “We were big contributors to our own downfall.
“When we scored to make it 12-6 you could sense there was a bit of nervousness in the stadium and it was our responsibility to capitalise on that, and actually what we did is we released that pressure.”
Wellens shrugged off questions about his own future, with the Saints hierarchy set to meet in the coming weeks to determine whether he is the man to take them forward next season.
“Naturally the club have to make a decision on what they want in the future and those discussions will take place sooner rather than later,” added Wellens. “I am comfortable with whatever happens regarding my future.”
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