Following Mikey Lewis’ four-match suspension a huge selection call has been made by Hull KR boss Willie Peters.
After a headbutt and a late hit against Warrington, Lewis is banned until the postponed round two fixture against Wire in mid-August, meaning the Robins need a new half-back until his return.
A decision has been made on who that will be, and Peters has confirmed that Arthur Mourgue will be the man to step up into the role.
Mourgue has only just returned from a long-term pec injury, meaning his appearances this season have been limited.
With the Frenchman switching from one to six, it means that Jack Broadbent get to re-claim his full-back spot that he has occupied for most of the season so far.
Explaining the decision, Peters said to the press: “I just think we need players that have played together, some cohesion. Those guys that have played together, they’ve been part of the team for a while, and they’ve done the job before.
“Broady’s played a lot of full-back, and Arthur’s played a lot of half-back as well. “It’s important that we have some experience going into this game, so that’s why we’ve gone that way.”
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After being named in the 21, former Hull FC man Jack Charles could have made his Robins Super League debut against his ex-employers, but Peters chose against that path.
He said: “He [Charles]‘s not in the 18. Jack’s young, and he’s actually trained so hard and worked so hard on his game.
“There’s no doubt Jack’s going to be half-back at his club for a number of years. He’s got some experienced guys in front of him at the moment.
“With someone like Jack, I think another pre-season at the club will be perfect. A new coach coming in, I’m sure he’ll be impressed with his attitude and the way he trains.
“It’s similar to when we had PLT [Phoenix Laulu-Togaga’e] here. It was just about developing him in the right way. Initially it was in League 1, and then it was Championship, and whenever he can get some Super League games.
“So Jack at the moment is more around playing at that Championship level, and then we want him to excel at that level, and then he’ll be ready to go in the first team.
“He’s a player that the club have certainly got plans for in the future.”
Veteran Ryan Hampshire is also included in the 21, should Peters want to make a last-minute spine change.
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