Wigan Warriors boss Matt Peet warns his players that they will need to be at their very best against Hull Kingston Rovers if they are to reach a second successive Betfred Challenge Cup final.
Reigning champions Wigan square up against Hull KR in the semi-final at Headingley on Sunday afternoon looking to reach the competition’s showpiece in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1995.
Peet is into his second year as Warriors boss and is embracing the chance to lead the club into a successive Challenge Cup final.
He tells The Last Tackle: “[It feels] exciting, it’s a big 80 minutes and if we win this I’ll be made up, the team will be made up and the whole town hopefully.
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“To get there twice in two years would be surreal but we’re not really thinking about that at the moment, we’re thinking about Hull KR and the threat they bring and trying to find our best form.”
The 39-year-old is wary of the threat Hull KR pose to his side having tasted defeat against them on the opening day of the Betfred Super League season back in February before narrowly beating Willie Peters’ men by a golden point victory in May in their last meeting.
“There’s a clear warning for us. We’ve been well beaten once and were lucky to get away with that golden point victory. We weren’t the better team for 80 minutes so we’re going to have to bring a better level because they’re going to bring their best game as well.”
The Wigan head coach has been impressed with how Sunday’s opponents have played this season and says it all stems from their boss Peters.
“I think Hull KR have been very impressive all season. They have some outstanding individuals but most importantly I think Willie has instilled a great team ethic and the rate is very high. We’ve learned the hard way this season that they’re a really tough team to beat.”
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