Betfred Challenge Cup final
Wigan (10) 40
Tries: Farrimond 2, Nsemba, Keighran 2, French, Thompson Goals: Keighran 6
Hull KR (4) 10
Tries: Hiku 2 Goal: Martin
Bevan French scored on his return from a hamstring injury as Wigan Warriors earned their 22nd Challenge Cup title by thrashing Hull KR at a sweltering Wembley Stadium.
French had been absent since March with a hamstring injury and was expected to be out for four months but marked an early return to action from the bench with a try 15 minutes from time, which put the gloss on Wigan’s victory.
Earlier, Jack Farrimond’s sensational solo try got Wigan off the mark and he repeated the feat to extend their lead before Peta Hiku responded for Hull KR.
Wigan took control after the break, scoring 30 points, when Junior Nsemba dotted down and Adam Keighran scored a quickfire pair of tries.
Hiku went in at the corner to pull KR into double figures, but Luke Thompson raced in as Wigan capped off their win in style.
Wigan finished the match with 12 players, however, as Sam Walters put in a dangerous tackle on Bill Leyland with two minutes remaining.
The meeting, a repeat of last season’s Super League Grand Final, means Wigan pick up their first trophy since their quadruple-winning 2025 campaign, having been shut out by KR’s treble last term.
KR, for their part, were unable to offer a comeback as talismanic stand off Mikey Lewis suffered what appeared to be a foot injury in the first half.
Wigan’s victory marks a historic double – with the women’s team also beating fierce rivals St Helens in the Women’s Challenge Cup final earlier on Saturday – the first time a side has won both trophies on the same day since the finals were grouped together at Wembley in 2023.
The Warriors took an early lead to lay down a marker of what was to come.
Farrimond received Brad O’Neill’s pass and dummied and weaved his way through the Hull KR defence to score.
Keighran swung what should have been a simple conversion wide, however, and an attritional first half then played out in temperatures approaching 30 degrees celsius.
Hull KR suffered a blow when Lewis picked up his injury midway through the half, but he carried on playing.
Yet he was a passenger as Wigan made a moment of pressure count, as Farrimond ran in, with Lewis unable to offer much in the way of defence as he was plagued by his foot injury.
Out of nowhere Hull KR hit back right on the verge of half-time as Tyrone May’s sublime kick was met by Hiku, who could not believe his luck as he saw that he was able to run in virtually unopposed.
Yet Rhyse Martin – who had been deployed from the bench in the early stages due to a head injury to Dean Hadley – hit the post while trying to add the extras.
Wigan opened up their lead to 12 points just four minutes into the second half as Hull KR struggled from a high ball, and Farrimond continued his fine showing for the day as he sent a perfect kick through for Nsemba to catch and ground.
Another Wigan kick led to another try, this time as Harry Smith chipped in for Keighran to run in through a Hull KR defensive gap to score and the Australian was in again soon after as he scooped up a pass and outpaced KR again.
French made the difference moments after coming on to cap off a remarkable comeback, but there was still time for Hiku to race to the corner and Thompson to stun the Robins further before the hooter.
Wigan: Field; Eckersley, Keighran, Wardle, Hodkinson; Farrimond, Smith; Walters, O’Neill, Thompson, Nsemba, Farrell, Partington.
Interchanges: Havard, Ellis, Mago, French.
Hull KR: Broadbent; Davies, Hiku, Gildart, Burgess; Lewis, May; Sue, Litten, Amone, Hadley, Batchelor, Minchella.
Interchanges: Leyland, Luckley, Martin, Brown.
Referee: Liam Moore