Hull KR have a ‘better understanding’ of what it takes to win the biggest games in the rugby league calendar. That’s according to head coach Willie Peters, who insists the Robins are driven by their desire to win rather than the painful memories of recent failures.
The Robins have the opportunity to reach a third major final in as many years on Saturday when they take on Catalans Dragons in the Challenge Cup semi-finals at York’s LNER Community Stadium. The Super League leaders will be the favourites to book their spot at Wembley and they’ll be backed by a huge crowd of more than 7,000.
KR are no strangers to such pressures, though, and the experience they have of reaching the 2023 Challenge Cup final and the 2024 Grand Final will be hugely beneficial this weekend. Of course, Peters’ side went on to lose both of those finals by excruciatingly narrow margins, with the golden point loss to Leigh Leopards being particularly tough to swallow.
Rovers have taken lessons from those occasions, though, and Peters believes his side are better for them.
“It is really difficult to win a cup, so to put yourself in finals and semi-finals is not easy to do,” Peters said while previewing this weekend’s tie. “We are getting a better understanding of how to get there and a better understanding of what big games are all about.
“Now it is about taking the next step but we are not looking too far ahead. That next step for us now is Catalans on Saturday. We are looking forward to it and I have every belief in this side that they will play well and put themselves in a good position.”
He added: “There’s motivation from the pain of not wanting to feel defeat again in a semi or final, but there’s also the motivation of chasing success. I like having the motivation of chasing something, I think you go harder and work harder to get it.
“The other way you think about the emotion of defeat, so I am big on us chasing what we want, not what we don’t want.”
Willie Peters on where Hull KR can beat Catalans Dragons
Rovers’ record against the Dragons is a poor one, with the French side winning 11 of their last 13 meetings. Those two wins have come in the last couple of seasons, though, and Peters is confident that his side can win the battle for the middle of the park once more this time around.
“The big games, if you win the middle third it puts you in a really good position,” he said. “When our middle third aim up it is up to our spine to finish things off, but I back our middles against anyone, absolutely I do.
“We brought in the players we did and we have the team we have got now because yes, we were being beaten up before and we were aware of that and we have changed that through system and personnel.”
