WEMBLEY is always a special occasion and none more so than for club director James McNicol, the son of the late chairman Colin McNicol and his wife Lesley, who was also here.
It is fair to say that if Colin and his team hadn’t put in the amount of work they did back in 2003 there would not have been a team for James to lead out for this final.
To go from obscurity to world champions has taken an incredible amount of work and it should not be forgotten what an achievement it is for the Robins to reach their third final in four years.
As well as Colin upstairs, there could also be Roger Millward, Clive Sullivan and Phil Lowe round the table raising a glass as three legends of the club, and many others Rovers supporters who are no longer with us.
In sweltering heat, the opening set for set was to be expected but the loss of Dean Hadley due to a head injury when going in to tackle Adam Keighran wasn’t good.
A Jack Broadbent knock-on under pressure saw Wigan ease their way into the game with a Jack Farrimond try.
It could have been different as well had Rovers lost Mikey Lewis, after he spent the final ten minutes of the first half hobbling when he went over on his ankle.
And Wigan’s Harry Smith was, it seemed by most in red and white, lucky to not even get ten minutes for a high shot on Tom Davies.
Rovers though seemed to gift Wigan possession in different ways with penalties and loss of possession as Farrimond went in again.
It was a deft kick over from Tyrone May for a Peta Hiku try as Rhyse Martin hit the upright. Going in 10-0 down was different to just a six-point deficit.
Could things be different in the second half?
Sadly no, as Rovers played into the Warriors’ hands through a penalty which ended with a Junior Nsemba try, and it just got worse for the Robins. This certainly wasn’t the team who have had a recent upturn in form going into the top four of the Super League table.
A Keighran brace put the contest beyond a Rovers side who just couldn’t get any fluidity into their game as they stared defeat in the face. This came against a Wigan side who almost had the previous week off having fielded a young side in the hammering at Sewell Group Craven Park.
Sadly for the throngs of Rovers fans the sight of Bevan French wasn’t a welcoming sight and with possibly his second touch of the ball he sidestepped his way over. But all credit to the Robins, a side who will have plenty of battle scars to take back home, as they never gave in.
Ten minutes from time Hiku gave the Rovers fans a little more to cheer as he dived in at the corner. It might have been his second try, but Rovers were second best.
With the many highs of 2025 there have to be lows and this game was one of them.
Hull KR v Wigan are great games to watch but this time the team in cherry and white took the spoils and the Challenge Cup back to Wigan.
For the Robins there are still three more trophies in the cabinet but one has gone.