Hull KR talking points: Masterful Elliot Minchella, Mikey Lewis concern and Brad Takairangi

Hull KR sealed their spot in the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup on Friday night as they eased past Castleford Tigers with a 34-10 win.

Here’s a look at some of the talking points to emerge from the contest.

The loose-forward has been through the wringer over the last 12 months or so, but it seems he is starting to hit top form once more after turning in one of his best performances yet in a Hull KR shirt. He was simply too much to handle for Castleford at times on Friday night and caused issues with his strength and power from the first minute until he left the field around about the hour mark.

Minchella got the ball rolling for Rovers, touching down a deft grubber from Rowan Milnes, who had a sublime night in the halves for Tony Smith’s side, and he came close to second a few minutes later, hitting a crash ball and attempting to reach over the line. His second came in a similar fashion to his first, chasing a Milnes kick through the line before dotting down to get Craven Park rocking.

When he’s got that swagger about him, Minchella is almost certainly one of the best in the country at what he does and he still has plenty of time to work his way into Shaun Wane’s thoughts before the World Cup at the end of the year.

Friday night’s win came at a price, it seems, as Mikey Lewis was forced off the field with a sprained ankle. Tony Smith was unable to give more of an update during his post-match press conference but he could be a big doubt for next week’s derby clash against Hull FC at Craven Park.

Lewis has never played in a derby in front of fans, his only previous experience coming in the behind-closed-doors clash at the Totally Wicked Stadium in October 2020, and he’ll be cursing his luck should he be ruled out of the