I'm over the moon – Hull KR's homegrown hero Mikey Lewis celebrates Wembley win
Despite facing a kick that strayed out towards the right touchline, Lewis did not hesitate to boot the two points that ripped the trophy from Warrington's grasp, sealing an attritional 8-6 win and shattering a decades-long hoodoo for the Craven Park club.
There is almost no-one for whom victory will have meant more than Lewis, who was born and brought up in the city and has brimmed with passion for the Robins since he came through the ranks, making his debut as an 18-year-old in 2019 and claiming the prestigious Super League Man of Steel award last year.
Mikey Lewis lifted Hull KR's first Challenge Cup in 45 years (Richard Sellers/PA)
Yet, despite his likely status as a potential match-winner, Lewis, elevated to kicking duties in the absence of Rovers' Cup-tied full-back Arthur Mourgue, revealed it was most definitely not a case of practice makes perfect.
Looking dazed after the raucous celebrations that greeted the final hooter just moments after his kick sailed through the posts, Lewis said: 'I don't practice, so it was one of them where I trusted the process and, if I got a good strike on it, I knew it was over straight away.
'We said we can win this game in the 79th minute and that's what we did. I'm over the moon, proud. No-one can ever take this off me now – I'm a Challenge Cup winner and it will be with me for the rest of my life.'
Rovers had stood less than two minutes away from more final misery as Warrington entered the final stages with a four-point lead after a first-half try from Josh Thewlis and a superb performance from Marc Sneyd, whose mastery of the slippery conditions made him only the second player to win a third Lance Todd Trophy for man of the match.
Lewis, who had kicked a two-point penalty to give his side an early lead, was not at his best as the Super League leaders struggled to make an impression before the dramatic finale which saw Tyrone May's kick missed by Warrington's Aaron Lindop and Tom Davies pounce to slap down the vital try which was awarded after a tense video review.
Despite fully intending to bask in the glow of a long-awaited trophy, Lewis stressed the focus will soon shift to building on their breakthrough and finishing the season with more silverware, culminating in the Grand Final in October.
Hull KR left it late to edge past Warrington at Wembley (Nigel French/PA)
'I reckon it's going to feel like a bank holiday for the next week or so. We're going to enjoy this moment and then we'll go from there,' added Lewis, whose next engagement was a Sunday trophy parade with the rest of the Rovers players and staff from Craven Park to Hull's city hall.
'We thought it was our time. That was our theme – it's our time now and that's what it was. Hopefully that helps us a lot. We're just going to keep working hard, keep grounded and enjoy it.'
Rovers' new era will begin in earnest when they return to Super League action against Catalans Dragons on Friday and captain Elliot Minchella believes the manner of his side's win, despite being second best for the majority of the final, will stand them in good stead.
'We will definitely take a lot of belief out of that,' said Minchella, one of six Rovers winners, including Lewis, who had featured in the matchday 17 for their Wembley defeat to Leigh in 2023.
'We didn't play anywhere near our best, but we found a way to win and the best sides tend to do that to themselves. We'll probably look back and learn loads of things from this match. We made it tough for ourselves, but our resilience, grit and toughness has never been questioned.'
Warrington head coach Sam Burgess is also hoping for a boost after a performance in which his side made a mockery of their lowly eighth place in the Super League table.
Warrington came up short in a thrilling Challenge Cup final (Richard Sellers/PA)
'I think everyone can see what sort of team we are. Although our form in the league is not where it needs to be, everyone is aware of who we are and what we stand for as a group,' said Burgess.
'There's a lot of pain in there, but we'll take a really positive thing out of it. We have great belief and it'll give us the resolve and determination to attack the second half of the season.'
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