Lewis shows star power to help Hull KR end 40 years of hurt

5 hours ago 1

They say that every star player, no matter how well or badly they are performing in a game, will come up with a clutch moment that changes it all. Mikey Lewis made himself the main man once again as he sent over the conversion that clinched the Challenge Cup for Hull KR.

It is fair to say, up until the 77th minute, the Challenge Cup final had not been a vintage Lewis performance.

He had moments of greatness, like a goal-line dropout that Arron Lindop could not deal with, but that was balanced with a knock-on on his own try line.

Up until the 77th minute, he had been experiencing a rollercoaster of an afternoon, highs and lows coming across the match.

Then, Tom Davies got his fingertips on the ball to score a try and bring the game to 6-6 and it was down to Lewis to send over a tricky conversion to put his side ahead for the first time since the first half.

Mikey Lewis sent over the match-winning conversion

Image: Mikey Lewis sent over the match-winning conversion

He did just that, and 40 years of trophyless agony slipped away, the Robins finally adding an elusive piece of silverware to a cabinet which has stood empty since 1985.

It is important to remember, outside of the Challenge Cup, the reigning Man of Steel has not had goal-kicking duties for his club, Arthur Mourgue taking on that role following his move from Catalans Dragons.

Remarkably, he has not been practising his kicking but just trusting it will come off in the moment.

"I did a lot last year and a lot of practising last year. I feel like it wasn't the best for me, I was thinking about it too much," Lewis said.

Mikey Lewis and Elliot Minchella celebrate

Image: Mikey Lewis and Elliot Minchella celebrate

"When I had to kick, when Rhyse (Martin) got injured, I said to him 'I'm not going to practise'. He couldn't believe it at first.

"In the Challenge Cup semi-final, I kicked really well and I just trusted it."

And will it go down as the biggest kick of his life?

"Yeah, 100%. I've lived with it for a long time."

Hull KR crowned Challenge Cup winners

Image: Hull KR put their name back on the Challenge Cup trophy for the first time since 1980

Now, Lewis is focused on continuing to build a legacy at the club that brought the No 6 jersey out of retirement for him, picking up as many trophies as possible along the way.

"It means a lot. We took over a legacy that was on us for a long time. It's not just the 17 blokes who played today, it's the whole squad, the staff, everyone on the board. What we don't see, what gets done behind the scenes, it's for everybody.

"I just want to win everything at this point. It's a hard one to say, but it's easy to say. It's a bit cliche, but I want that."

What's next?

Week 14 of the Super League season begins on Friday June 13, with Hull KR hosting Catalans Dragons on Sky Sports Action (8pm) and Hull FC facing Castleford Tigers on Sky Sports+ (8pm).

Sky Sports will again show every game of Super League live this season - including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining four matches each week shown on Sky Sports+ via the red button

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