World Club Challenge: Hull KR 30-24 Brisbane Broncos

Hull Kingston Rovers held off a tough second-half challenge by NRL winners Brisbane Broncos to win the World Club Challenge.

The Super League champions, who have recovered from the brink of extinction in the last 25 years to win the domestic treble, shocked the Australians in a stunning first half.

Micky Lewis’ kicking game sparked a series of errors from the Broncos and tries from debutant Tom Ammon, Elliot Minchella, Joe Burgess, Oliver Geldart and Peta Hiko opened a 30-4 lead, with Jihamat Shibasaki conjuring up the only response.

The Broncos, who came from behind three times in last year’s NRL finals series to finally claim the title, scored four tries in 16 minutes through Patrick Carrigan, Dane Marriner, Shibasaki again and Kotone Staggs as the 24,000 fans inside MKM Stadium looked on in growing disbelief.

In a tense finale, the exhausted Robins somehow managed to become the sixth English team to win the tournament since it became a regular tournament in 1987.

Hull KR now hold all four major trophies, behind Wigan in the 2024 season in which they won four, becoming the first team to do so over two seasons since St Helens in 2006-07.

The Robins, who suffered a shock defeat to York Knights when they began their Premier League title defense last week, showed no such weakness as they pushed straight into the attack, with Lewis testing the visitors with his kicking style.

The Broncos looked rusty as they played their first game since beating the Melbourne Storm in the NRL grand final in October, and made a series of errors, with Amon racing on to Tyrone May’s powerful kick to open the scoring.

When Reece Walsh, combining his mercurial brilliance with the occasional foul, delivered another Lewis bomb, the Robins made their superior when the excellent Jez Litten sent Mincilla exploding over the goal line.

Staggs’ strike gave Willie Peters’ side another great attacking platform and Litten’s kick sent Joe Burgess, who scored a hat-trick for Wigan Warriors against Cronulla Sharks in the 2017 World Club Challenge, for another try.

The Broncos were shocked but they suddenly came alive with a dangerous attack from the right and a quick conversion through Walsh’s kick, which was brilliantly crossed by Josiah Karapani down the touchline to put Shibasaki through.