Jamie Jones-Buchanan has hit out at Hull KR and the argument that they are ‘tired’, with the Leeds Rhinos’ chief executive officer simply encouraging Rovers to ‘go to sleep, get something to eat, and get up and go again’.
That pragmatic approach was a suggestion that Jones-Buchanan made when speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports shortly after Hull KR lost 46-0 to Wigan Warriors, a defeat that marked the first time in Willie Peters’ tenure that Rovers had been nilled.
They almost weren’t nilled but for a miracle play by Bevan French as the former Man of Steel held up Hull KR debutant Frankie Dearlove in what Jones-Buchanan labelled as ‘one of the best plays I’ve seen all season’.
Fellow pundit Jon Wilkin marvelled at the tackle, stating: “This, for me, if this is the Grand Final, this is the play of the season.”
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What can Hull KR take out of the Wigan loss as ‘tired’ excuse rubbished
Dearlove’s performance was deserving of a try with the young second-row forward making 48 tackles and running his blood to water in an impressive debut but Jon Wilkin argued that Hull KR would take more than just strong debuts out of the game.
“He takes rested players,” he said when asked what can Willie Peters take out of this game ahead of crunch clashes against Huddersfield Giants and St Helens.
“The players who weren’t playing, who were getting on the bus and not played tonight. That’s what he’ll take from this game.
“He doesn’t have another 80 minutes in some leggy players, some experienced players who visibly needed a rest.
“The Toulouse performance was such a tired performance from them, and rightly so. Their fixture list has been clogged, hasn’t it?”
Jones-Buchanan wasn’t exactly buying the ‘tired’ excuse put forth by Wilkin, adding: “I’ll be honest with you, I don’t really buy it, the ‘tired’ thing. Go to sleep, get something to eat and get up and go again. That’s what you’ve got to do.
“I don’t think Wigan would have behaved like that, and ultimately, we’ve seen the champions playing this year against the prospective champions that are chasing it there three times, it’s been a disaster all three games.”
Quadruple winners 25/26.
August 29, 2026 at 7:48 am
Jamie Jones Buchanan should learn when to keep his big mouth shut, his perception or understanding of the modern game is outdated, the modern game is far faster and requires superior fitness than when he last played the game. His “i don’t really buy it, the tired thing. Go to sleep, get something to eat and get up and go and go again. Thats what you’ve got to do”.
For a start, besides the increase in fitness levels from a decade ago which was when JJB last played at the top level, there’s the 6 again rule which makes the game vastly faster than a decade ago which leaves players unable to get away with holding down and slowing the play down as a restbite for players suffering fatigue during play. Maybe JJB has been watching the Tom Cruise film Edge of Tomorrow a bit too much.