The forward joined KR last month after his 2025 release from Catalans Dragons
Tevita Pangai Jr has been at Hull KR since last month
Tevita Pangai Jr could be set to make his Hull KR debut this week following his mid-season switch to Craven Park.
Pangai Jr joined the Robins last month after spending most of winter and spring playing in the lower leagues of French rugby union following his release from Catalans Dragons last year.
The prop has penned a short-term deal with the Robins until the end of the season and he has been working hard to build up his fitness ever since with the club’s conditioning staff.
He wasn’t involved with the squad, but he made the trip to Wembley with the rest of his new teammates last weekend and he was seen being put through his paces under the arch at captain’s run on Friday.
Willie Peters has confirmed that Pangai Jr has been carrying a slight calf issue over the last couple of weeks, but the head coach also confirmed that if he ticks the boxes he needs to, he could be in the running to feature against Wakefield Trinity on Saturday.
“He doesn’t look too bad,” Peters told Hull Live ahead of the Challenge Cup final. “He had a bit of a calf issue before he came over running, so we just have to build his loads and see where he’s at.
“There’s a possibility of next week [vs Wakefield]. I don’t want to bring him in too early if he’s not ready. That calf put him back a little bit when he was in France so we’ll just have to wait and see.”
With Pangai Jr signed, Rovers have allowed Jack Brown to leave the club and join Castleford Tigers on a permanent deal. And, with Dean Hadley failing a HIA in Saturday’s final, the door could be open for the former State of Origin man to make his debut off the bench for the Robins.
KR will be hoping to see Pangai Jr make a swift impression, too, with the 30-year-old believed to be keen on earning a deal with an NRL club for 2027.