Peta Hiku credited his strong form in Super League to his family’s happiness off the field, highlighting the role Hull KR has played in their well-being. The Kiwi centre was given a week off by his head coach against Huddersfield – having been ever-present for Rovers since arriving in England for the 2024 season, with 46 consecutive games.
He returned to action in style with a player of the match performance in the 31-12 victory over Warrington Wolves, just a fortnight before the Challenge Cup final at Wembley. The result maintained Rovers’ form at the top of the Super League table, with Hiku having played a big part in his side’s success to date – labelled Hull KR’s ‘unsung hero’ by head coach Willie Peters.
And he paid tribute to his family – his partner and two boys, Brooklyn and Braxton – and the club following the Super League Round 12 victory. “It’s easy to say that I’m enjoying my footy and that, but I think a lot of it comes down to what the club has done with my family off the field,” the 32-year-old said.
Challenge Cup 2025 special
Our Challenge Cup 2025 special newspaper is the perfect accompaniment to this year’s big game. Packed full of exclusive interviews with representatives of both Hull KR and Warrington Wolves, we also have features with cup heroes of the past such as Sean Long, Andy Gregory, Martin Offiah and Mal Reily.
We profile Lance Todd, the man little is known about who gives his name to the man of the match award. There’s a look at forgotten cup final venues, ranking the best finals, the best 13 of Lance Todd winners, plus a preview of the 1895 Cup final, women’s Challenge Cup final and Year 7 boys final.
On sale 28th May 2025, but you can pre-order a copy to be sent to your home here.
“My family are enjoying their time with the people around us, what they’re doing in the community and when my family is happy, I’ve no excuse but to turn up and play footy.
“It makes my job easier. And we’ve got a good bunch of boys here. They’re a group that play for each other and you don’t want to let the team down. I’ve been happy with the way English culture is as well. It’s a bit different to Australia, but I’m really enjoying it.”
Hiku’s mindset remains on the next game – St Helens at Sewell Group Craven Park – refusing to look too far ahead to the showpiece game in the capital next month. Rovers will go into the match on Saturday, June 7, as favourites, although Sam Burgess’ outfit will take some positives from their performance at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.
Hiku said: “I think Friday was sort of a platform for a couple of weeks that we’re going to play them again. I think always coming into these types of games, especially playing two weeks later, you want to just build on that next game without looking too far ahead.
“I think with the way we’ve been playing, what we’re trying to build, getting into a cycle is what we want to do and we’re doing that well. We think that’s going to help us in the season.”