A number of players will have points to prove at Hull KR
Hull KR’s Jai Whitbread touches down for a try against Wakefield.
Hull KR are at the very start of a new chapter as they prepare to welcome Nathan Cayless to the club.
The former New Zealand international is due to arrive in east Hull at the start of November and pre-season will get underway on November 9.
It’ll be a staggered return for KR’s senior squad with those at the World Cup being given a while longer, of course, but pre-season will be key for Cayless as he bids to make his mark and get his team playing the brand of rugby he will hope to see.
The fresh start will suit a number of players at Craven Park and many will be keen to turn a corner or prove a point over pre-season and over the course of the 2027 campaign.
Here’s three who we think might have something to prove next season.
Mikey Lewis
He did enough to earn a call up for England, but the 2026 campaign was not Lewis’ year. The stand-off struggled with ill-discipline and that ate into his form, particularly during the second half of the campaign.
He did have bright spells last season and he still managed to rack up some impressive numbers, but he’ll have taken plenty of lessons out of his struggles.
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As such, while he is one of the players who will return to pre-season later than most due to his international commitments, he’ll be eager to set the record straight next year and get back to the type of form that saw him named Man of Steel not too long ago.
A fresh voice in Cayless might help him refocus and by all accounts and the type of rugby Cayless wants to play might just play into Lewis’s hands. Expect a big year from Lewis in 2027.
Jai Whitbread
Whitbread fluctuated between good and poor performances on an almost weekly basis over the course of the season, with the forward struggling for consistency throughout. As such, he was dropped by Willie Peters on a couple of occasions, with the head coach speaking about the forward’s need to work on his game.
Whitbread will enter the 2027 season with the bit between his teeth then as he strives to prove himself to Cayless and nail down a regular spot in the side.
The signing of Salesi Ataata only adds the competition he faces for a spot in the front row, and he’s far from guaranteed a position in the back row, but he’ll be keen to show Cayless that he can play a key role for the club in 2027.
Bill Leyland
Leyland doesn’t have a point to prove to the fanbase, who know all about how dangerous he can be on his day, but after watching on from the peripheries for two seasons under Peters, he’ll be keen to catch Cayless’ eye immediately.
The hooker knows he is unlikely to dislodge Jez Litten as the club’s first choice hooker any time soon, but he can certainly work his way up to become someone who spells Litten on an almost weekly basis. That needs to be Leyland’s goal coming into the new season and the fresh eyes of Cayless might just provide the opportunity he’s been looking for.