Hull Kr on top of the world after resisting thrilling Brisbane fightback
hull kr withstood a ferocious second-half fightback by the Brisbane Broncos to win the World Club Challenge, prevailing 30-24 in a match that capped a dramatic rise from near extinction to global honours.
Hull Kr stormed to a 30-4 first-half lead
The contest opened with a dominant display from the Super League champions. A tactical kicking game forced a series of errors from the Australian visitors and carved out early tries. Debutant Tom Amone, Elliot Minchella, Joe Burgess, Oliver Gildart and Peta Hiku all crossed in a stunning first-half sequence that left the Robins with a 30-4 advantage at the interval. Gehamat Shibasaki produced the only first-half reply for the Broncos.
Match scoring details noted tries for Amone, Minchella, Burgess, Gildart and Hiku, with goal-kicking recorded as Mourgue 2 and Martin 3. Brisbane’s try-scorers included Shibasaki (two), Carrigan, Mariner and Staggs, with Reynolds on goal duty.
The performance that delivered the early cushion was built on precision from the Robins’ kicking game and clinical finishing off the ensuing platforms.
Broncos roar back but Hull Kr hold out in tense finale
Brisbane mounted a remarkable revival in the second half, scoring four tries in a 16-minute burst through Patrick Carrigan, Deine Mariner, Shibasaki (his second) and Kotoni Staggs. The comeback reduced the deficit to a tense finish and left a sell-out crowd watching nervously as the closing stages unfolded.
Despite the pressure and an energetic late flurry, the Robins dug in defensively and held on to secure victory by six points. The tense finale underlined the physical and mental resilience required to close out a match after surrendering a large lead.
From brink of extinction to winners on the world stage
This triumph adds the World Club Challenge to a remarkable recent run of success. The club’s turnaround is striking: it recovered from near extinction in the past 25 years and, only a few seasons ago, endured severe struggles that included finishing bottom of Super League in 2020 and being spared relegation by the demise of another club during the Covid-19 pandemic. That trajectory — from financial ruin and tiny crowds to global champions — frames the win as more than a single result.
Hull KR were contesting their first World Club Challenge and now leave with the trophy. The victory means the club holds all four major titles, a sequence last matched in its kind by other rare quadruple-winning campaigns and noted as the first to be completed over two seasons since St Helens in 2006-07. This places the Robins alongside a very small group of English clubs who have lifted the competition since it became a regular fixture.
What hull kr's World Club Challenge win means next
The immediate significance is clear: the club has cemented an extraordinary turnaround and added a global crown to domestic success. For supporters and the squad, the win validates a rapid rise from the darkest moments in the club’s recent history to the summit of the sport.
Looking ahead, expectations will inevitably rise. The victory also serves as a boost for the domestic game after previous setbacks, showing that Super League champions can compete and triumph on the world stage. Details about how the club will build on this success will evolve with future fixtures and squad decisions.
Match attendance was recorded at 24, 000 at the MKM Stadium, where the game unfolded in front of a large and expectant crowd. The Robins’ ability to start explosively and then withstand a sustained fightback defined a memorable chapter in the club’s recovery and recent dominance.
