Wigan’s victory writes them into folklore as one of, if not the, greatest side of the modern era.
In the relatively short period under Peet’s stewardship since his arrival for 2022, the Cherry and Whites have gone from strength to strength.
Peet masterminded Wigan’s Challenge Cup win over Huddersfield at Tottenham just months into taking the job on and from there he has never looked back, breaking St Helens’ dominance from the turn of the decade and turning his side into superstars.
Their win under the Old Trafford lights earned Peet his seventh piece of silverware since his appointment – a feat made all the more remarkable given he has taken charge of fewer than 100 games.
French was rewarded for his efforts in scoring such an impressive try and his defensive work as Hull KR pushed for a response by winning the inaugural Rob Burrow Award for man of the match – named after the former Leeds Rhinos and Great Britain scrum-half who died earlier this year.
For Hull KR coach Willie Peters, it was another bridge too far for his side despite their own stunning ascent into title challengers this season.
Peters missed out on the Challenge Cup to Leigh just over 12 months ago but tussled with Wigan in a memorable season, narrowly missing out on the League Leaders’ Shield.
Despite dominating the opening stages, KR could not offer much in response to Wigan’s bruising back line and the Cherry and Whites’ tireless second half defensive efforts proved decisive.
It will offer little in consolation to the east Hull club that they came up short against an era-defining side, yet there is hope that under Peters they are proving they have the potential to gatecrash the traditional powerhouses in Super League going forward.