Denis Betts admitted that their comprehensive defeat at the expense of Hull FC was embarrassing.
The Vikings, struggling through injury following recent injuries to Rhys Hanbury and Chris Dean, were outplayed by their Super 8s counterparts.
And the England assistant was left disappointed with certain aspects of his team’s performance, particularly defensively.
“The embarrassing thing about it for the lads is we’re a better defensive side than that,” he said.
“The number of repeat sets really hurt us. Some of the things we did in the first-half was unforgivable. In the second-half they just wore away at us. We had a try that wasn’t allowed for a bizarre reason it looked like it was on the line. The video referee thought that he was out. Those are game-changers Hull are at that level where some guys were breaking tackles for fun and they’re a very good side, they’re a side on a roll. Lee has just said to me that the top eight was tough for them last year – and we’ve got a long way to go.”
Having seen his side dismantled, Betts believes Lee Radford’s side are capable of clinching silverware this season.
“Can Hull win something? I think so.
“It’s going to be a big ask and it’ll be a fantastic final between themselves and Warrington. They’ve recruited really well and Mark Minichiello is one of the best back-rowers in the competition; you look through their side and they’ve been injury free for a large part of this year.
“There are not many sides out there who can go toe-to-toe and beat them. The fans at the end, they sung their heart out. It looks like there’s unity in that side which could make them successful.”
