Hull KR star sent to hospital after scary injury

Hull KR marched into the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup with a clinical 40-0 win over Salford Red Devils but the game wasn’t without issue for the club.

The impressive win was marred by the fact Oliver Gildart had to be stretchered from the field early on after his involvement in a big collision.

Craven Park fell silent as the medical staff tended to the Hull KR centre who was then stretchered off and Willie Peters has since provided an update on the former Wigan man.

Speaking to BBC Humberside, Peters explained:  “Ollie’s gone to hospital which is just precautionary. We need to get his neck checked and it needs to be cleared, which it hasn’t yet, he needs to have tests.

“So we’re just waiting to see what happens there, but at the moment it’s just precautionary and obviously it was a heavy knock.”

That update is a relieving one with fans understandably concerned for Gildart given the presence and use of the stretcher, Hull KR fans being all too familiar with serious spinal injuries after Mose Masoe’s harrowing injury back in 2020.

Thankfully, the injury to Gildart looks far less severe with the decision to take him to hospital confirmed as precautionary.

The club have also confirmed now that he has received the all clear.

Hull KR rest stars during Challenge Cup romp

Having already lost to Salford Red Devils once this season it was expected to be a far tougher test for Hull KR with nobody predicting a 40-0 whitewash.

As it happened the Robins took control from the word go with Ryan Hall scoring within the opening ten minutes before then doubling up in the first half.

The Robins went in 24-0 up at halftime and there was no let-up as they piled on the points in the second forty despite resting a number of key players, as revealed by Willie Peters.

Asked about Peta Hiku, who once again thrived having been moved to centre, Peters confirmed the Kiwi international had picked up a knock and was one of a number of players to be wrapped in cotton wool

“His knee just stiffened up and he just started hobbling a little bit. We were fortunate to be in a position tonight that we could bring him off,” Peters confirmed.

“Tyrone was similar. They’re important players to us. I just thought we should be giving those guys a bit of a spell off. Mini (Elliot Minchella) played less minutes tonight and so did Dean Hadley. We were fortunate to be in that position.”

Hull KR have in fact been one of Super League’s most fortunate teams in terms of injuries so far with the Robins having carried a clean bill of health for most of the opening rounds.

Star player Mikey Lewis could be back next week for the derby if his return-to-play protocol following his HIA goes without a hitch, with George King potentially being sidelined for longer as one of KR’s biggest Super League injuries.