Lebanon international Abbas Miski followed up a hat-trick against Leigh Leopards by scoring four tries as Wigan Warriors defeated Hull Kingston Rovers 64-6; the visitors fielded a much-rotated side ahead of their Betfred Challenge Cup final appearance on Saturday, August 12
Last Updated: 04/08/23 11:51pm
Abbas Miski ran in four tries as Wigan stormed to victory over Hull KR
Matt Peet praised ‘flawless’ Abbas Miski after the Lebanese winger scored four tries in Wigan Warriors’ 64-6 thrashing of a much-rotated Hull Kingston Rovers side at the DW Stadium.
Peet’s men were in no mood to go easy on a Rovers matchday squad featuring three academy debutants and a trio of short-term signings with more than one eye on next week’s Betfred Challenge Cup final against Leigh Leopards.
Miski’s quadruple followed hot on the heels of a hat-trick against Leigh Leopards last week and continued the remarkable transformation of a player who spent part of his early Wigan career on loan at Betfred Championship side Newcastle Thunder.
“There isn’t a major flaw in his game, he’s worked so hard, he lets his rugby do the talking and he is just a great advert for perseverance and hard work,” Peet said.
“He showed the right attitude when he went to Newcastle, and he is benefiting from that. From a coach’s point of view, he is technically where you want him to be, and he is such a well-rounded player for us.”
Jai Field helped himself to a late hat-trick as Wigan ran in a total of 12 tries to make up for their agonising cup semi-final loss to the same team – albeit with different personnel – at Headingley less than two weeks ago.
“We did a professional job,” Peet said. “It was a different sort of challenge for us, and it was quite difficult to prepare the group.
Jai Field grabbed a hat-trick as Wigan thrashed Hull KR
“I want to pay tribute to Hull KR who brought a young and spirited team and while they lacked some cohesion and experience, I thought their performance was honourable and we had to earn our points.”
Robins boss Willie Peters had no complaints about the result or performance and paid tribute to the way a side featuring just two starters from that Headingley golden-point win kept the hosts at bay for much of the first period.
“The score didn’t reflect the effort and how hard the guys competed,” Peters said.
“It came down to a bit of technical stuff but with Wigan being the quality side that they are, there was a high level of skill there and some really quality tries and it is all about learning for the young guys.”
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters is now focused on next week’s Challenge Cup final
Peters’ attention will now turn to Wembley and fashioning only Rovers’ second Challenge Cup win in their history after their Hull derby triumph in 1980.
And Peters paid tribute to the big names he rested, who made the long journey to the DW Stadium en masse to support their new-look side from the sidelines.
“They came into the dressing room before the game and that highlights the connection we’ve got within the group,” Peters said.
“They met for dinner beforehand and turned up together, and that’s really pleasing to see as a coach. We’re heading into a massive game next week and it’s the teams who are most connected that win the big games.”