Willie Peters’ thoughts after Hull KR finally kick-started their Super League campaign.
Tyrone May was influential in Hull KR’s win over Huddersfield Giants.
Willie Peters hailed Tyrone May for his influential display in Hull KR ’s 32-6 victory over Huddersfield Giants, which secured the club’s first Super League win of the season.
The head coach also revealed that some of his star players had been struggling with illness throughout the week following their return to English soil from Las Vegas.
May assisted all three of Rovers’ first-half tries at the Accu Stadium, setting up Oliver Gildart, Tom Davies and Joe Burgess as the visitors established a 16-0 lead by the break.
His influence continued after the interval, although half-back partner Mikey Lewis grabbed the headlines with a brace as Hull KR eased to victory in West Yorkshire.
“He’s a massive part of what we do,” head coach Peters said of May. “Guys like Mikey Lewis and Arthur Mourgue tend to get more of the accolades because they’re scoring the tries, but Tyrone is the one who orchestrates it all.
“He’s dominant in a lot of our team meetings, he understands the game and he watches it. I enjoy talking with him about who we’re playing and their strengths and weaknesses because he’s really invested in his preparation. When he’s on, we play well as a team.”
Peters opted to stick with the same 17 players who were heavily beaten in Las Vegas to face an injury-hit Huddersfield side, urging his team to respond after the 58-6 defeat in Sin City.
The result was a clinical and professional performance in the round four clash, finally kickstarting their Super League campaign after a chaotic start that included the Vegas spectacle and the World Club Challenge.
“I wanted these guys to be able to redeem themselves from last week,” he said. “In life, work or whatever it is, you want the opportunity to make up for certain things.
“There wasn’t a player last week who would have said they were happy with how they played. I wanted to give them the chance to show how they would respond.”
Peters also revealed that several players had been battling illness during the week following the long journey back from the United States to East Hull, including captain Elliot Minchella, who only played 30 minutes.
“We had to find something, and I’m glad we did because coming off a big loss last week and a tough trip home in terms of travel, it wasn’t easy,” Peters said.
“Elliot Minchella wasn’t well during the week, which is why he only played 30 minutes. A couple of others didn’t feel great either because of everything that comes with the travel, but I thought they handled the week well.”
Meanwhile, Karl Lawton – making his first Super League start of the season in the back row – was sin-binned in the second half for a low and late challenge on Matty English. The Huddersfield forward was forced off the field, while Lawton and Hull KR officials apologised after the match.
“I need to have a look at it, but there’s obviously a player injured, which isn’t good,” Peters added. “I don’t want to comment further – I just feel for the player.”