Willie Peters insists leaders Hull KR have learned lessons from a rare defeat – ready to take into today’s huge battle with Leigh Leopards. The Super League frontrunners were stunned by Sunday’s 14-8 home loss to Leeds Rhinos which ended a 11-game winning run.
It was only the Challenge Cup holders’ second reverse of the campaign and meant the race for the League Leaders’ Shield is no longer a foregone conclusion. And top-two chasing Leopards are also in great form after bouncing back from 8-0 down to beat champions Wigan 18-8 at Leigh Sports Village last week.
That was a fourth win in five games for Adrian Lam’s side and Robins boss Peters conceded: “We know they’re a good team. We’ve played them earlier on in the year.
“They don’t beat themselves: you need to find a way. And Wigan, going eight-nil up, the majority of the time, they’re going to go on and win those games. But they played against a good Leigh team at home. Once they get a sniff, the crowd gets involved. And the energy sort of changes a little bit.
“That’s what happened last week. And they came over the top of Wigan so there’s no doubt they’re a good team. We’re looking forward to playing them.”
Admittedly, since losing the 2023 Challenge Cup final to Leigh, the Robins have won all six subsequent contests between the sides.
And, remarkably, they have nilled them in the last three, winning 30-0 at home in March, 24-0 on their last visit to Leigh Sports Village in September and 12-0 at Craven Park last June.
Asked if he was expecting a closer contest in light of Leigh’s resurgence, Peters insisted: “I think every time we played them, regardless of the score, we knew how physical that [last] game was. The score probably didn’t indicate it. They’ve improved but they started the season well. They’ve had four wins from five so they’re in form. They are a good team.”
Rovers haven’t lost back-to-back Super League games in 16 months which bodes well for them. Peters said: “I just think the players learn, they’re very good at that.
“They understand where we went wrong, they adapt really well and obviously they’ve got pride in not losing two in a row. That’s what it boils down to. But the main thing is that this group, you can talk around improvements and they go out and they execute that in training and then, the majority of the time, that flows into the performance a week after, so I’m looking forward to seeing that happening again.
“You don’t like losing, no one likes losing, but you certainly learn. You learn from winning as well, but we’ll take a lot of lessons from last week. You’re never going to go through a season, especially in this competition, with one loss or two.
“Not that I want it to be, but I’m sure there’s possibly going to be another one along the way as well and maybe more, who knows? But we’re certainly going out to win every game and that’s the aim every week, is obviously to perform well. I’m not saying anything different at training and attitude, effort and energy – all the indicators for us to look at – I am not seeing anything slip.”
Rovers are without Man of Steel Mikey Lewis due to a failed HIA so Danny Richardson could come in at scrum-half while winger Tom Davies is set for his 200th career appearance and prop Sauaso Sue chalks up his 250th.