Joe Burgess was one of two players to drop out of the fold for Hull KR on Saturday
Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com – 14/03/2026 – Rugby League – Betfred Challenge Cup Round 4 – Huddersfield Giants v Hull KR – Accu Stadium, Huddersfield, England – Hull KR’s Joe Burgess thanks the fans and supporters after victory over Huddersfield.
Willie Peters has confirmed Joe Burgess missed Hull KR’s clash with Bradford Bulls on Saturday due to illness.
The Robins cruised to a 48-12 win over the Bulls at Odsal in round nine and they had to do it without their first choice left edge partnership.
Oliver Gildart picked up an ankle injury last time out against Toulouse Olympique and sat out of the trip to West Yorkshire, with Peters confirming his absence earlier in the week.
However, the Robins also found themselves without Burgess on the day, with Noah Booth starting on the wing alongside stand-in centre Rhyse Martin.
Burgess has been in superb form so far this season, scoring 12 tries from his opening 10 games in all appearances and the head coach has moved to allay any injury concerns by revealing the winger missed out due to sickness.
“He hasn’t been too well,” Peters told the press at Odsal on Saturday afternoon. “We did want to rotate and I didn’t plan to play Gilly this week but unfortunately he injured his ankle so hopefully he’s OK for next week.
“Joe hasn’t been well. A lot of us got a bit sick from Vegas and that hung around for about three or four weeks and he’s got his now. He played through it last week but it was better that he had a rest today.”
Asked if Burgess would be back in time to feature against Castleford Tigers on Thursday night, the head coach added: “Hopefully. It’s nothing major but he needed a rest today. A five-day turnaround, we’ll see how he goes.”
Booth was one of two players brought into the 17-man squad this week, with Sam Luckley stepping back into the fold this week, too, after being rotated in the south of France.
“We’re in a good position at the moment, we want to rotate and give players an opportunity when we can,” the Rovers boss said. “We know what Sam is capable of, he’s done it for a number of years and it was good to get Noah some time. I thought he ran nice and direct and he ran hard and I was happy with what he did.”