Hull KR fell to a shock defeat on the opening night of Super League 2026.
Hull KR star Mikey Lewis was sent to the sin-bin in a turning point against York Knights in Super League.
Willie Peters has urged Mikey Lewis to learn from the incident that saw him sin-binned against York Knights, insisting the Hull KR star let his team-mates down as the reigning champions suffered a shock defeat on the opening night of the 2026 Super League season.
The Robins fell to a 19-18 loss on a landmark evening in York, marking the club’s first-ever appearance in Super League following promotion.
Ata Hingano slotted a late drop-goal to seal victory for the hosts at the LNER Community Stadium, completing a remarkable fightback from 18-6 down in the second half.
Momentum shifted when Rovers star Lewis was sent to the sin-bin for tripping Liam Harris after a kick. York capitalised against the 12-man visitors, building belief as they overturned the deficit.
“You get what you deserve in this game – and we certainly did,” head coach Peters said.
“Mikey, doing what he did, let his team-mates down and he’s got to learn from it, that’s for sure.
“It’s about actions now. He needs to make sure he doesn’t let his team-mates down like that again and learns from this.
“It was a silly play. It’s something we’ll make sure he gets out of his game. People have got away with that before, but you make your bed and you’ve got to lie in it.”
Rovers had also conceded nine penalties before the break, with the scores locked at 6-6 at half-time. The 2025 treble champions will be forced to move on quickly, with the World Club Challenge next against NRL champions Brisbane Broncos.
“I’m very frustrated. It was a really ill-disciplined performance and we gave away too many penalties,” Peters added.
“We knew exactly what York were going to bring – there were no surprises in how they played.
“They worked hard, they stayed in the fight, and they came over the top of us. We got what we deserved.”