Mourgue is looking at another lay-off
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com – 16/05/2026 – Rugby League – Betfred Super League Round 11 – Leigh Leopards v Hull KR – Leigh Sports Village, Leigh , England – Arthur Mourgue of Hull KR leaves the field with an injury(Image: SW Pix)
Hull KR boss Willie Peters expects to be without Arthur Mourgue for six weeks at least following the injury he picked up against Leigh Leopards on Saturday.
Mourgue was making his return from a three-month injury lay-off last weekend after rupturing his pec in the World Club Challenge win over Brisbane Broncos.
He performed well against the Leopards and scored what would ultimately be the decisive try of the game just before the half-time interval.
However, his afternoon ended on the hour mark when he was forced to leave the field with his arm in a makeshift sling.
Peters confirmed Mourgue had sustained another pec injury but stopped short of calling it a recurrence after the game.
The full-back has now been for an initial assessment with scans showing a tendon tear, but the club still need clarity on whether he will need surgery.
“We’re still waiting to hear the extent of the injury. It’s between six and 12 weeks at this stage,” Peters said. “There is a partial tendon tear there but it’s not fully, which is positive.
“We just need to see how that responds in the next week and then get a better indication of the length of time. At the moment it’s between six and 12 but we can get a better indication in a weeks’ time.
“At this stage he doesn’t need surgery but that’s what the next week entails, going to see a specialist to see whether it requires surgery. At this stage, my understanding is that he doesn’t.
“I’m gutted whenever any player goes down but if someone goes down twice with the same injury, it’s heartbreaking for the player and for someone like Arthur, who has worked hard to get himself back fit and ready to go.
“He’s a resilient guy and he’ll push through it but we’re just hoping it’s the bottom end of what I said.”
Karl Lawton broke his nose on Saturday too, with the utility man bravely playing on with strapping wrapped around his face.
Peters has confirmed that Lawton is fit to play on Thursday against Wigan Warriors and it looks likely that he will, even if Peters is mulling over rotation at Craven Park.
“He’s OK, he’s alright,” Peters said on Lawton. “It’s a bit sore and a little bit bent but he’s OK. It’s an unfortunate part of the game but he’ll crack on.
“We have to make a call on a few players later in the week but at this stage I’m not thinking about him doing anything that’s going to get him a ban. We knew that last week and we’re going into this week with Karl, he’ll be a part of what we’re doing this week.
“There’s no doubt there’ll be some players we need to look at. It’s not so much a rest but it’s just managing because there’s players carrying a few different things and Wigan will be exactly the same. We need to look at that and there’ll be some players that won’t play because we need to manage and make sure they’re OK for the week after but we’ll finalise that later on in the week.”