Hull KR resting their players against St Helens next week is “a must” in the eyes of Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin.
After victory over Huddersfield Giants last night, combined with St Helens’ loss to Leigh Leopards, it means that the Robins are now secure in the top six, meaning their opportunity to defend their title lives on, however unlikely it may seem.
With one week to go before the finals, KR can only finish in either fifth or sixth. They sit two points behind both Leigh and Wakefield, but with those two taking on each other next week, one of them will claim the win, meaning KR cannot catch them and jump to fourth.
There is no difference in reward for finishing in those two positions, and with their spot in the six now secure, it means that Willie Peters has a decision to make before he heads to the BrewDog Stadium on Friday night.
The Robins’ biggest flaw this year has been their fatigue, with too many games in the calendar catching up with them, leading to some tired performances and some miserable efforts.
Peters heavily rotated his side to take on Wigan last week, and could well do so again next week as he looks to have his strongest available 17 as fit and as rested as they can be ahead of the play-offs.
The question remains whether that would be beneficial or not, with Sky pundits Jon Wilkin and Jamie Jones-Buchanan disagreeing on what the Robins boss should do.
“I think he has to [rest player],” said Wilkin. “I think it’s a must. With the congested fixtures they’ve had, I think you’ve seen a reaction from just having a period of space, a bank holiday rest, a week off for a number of players.
“I think it would be really smart, and it’s not something that Willie Peters has had in his kit bag, is it? To just take the foot off a bit and let people rest.
“I think this could be a really telling week of how they approach it, and I would de-stress it, and fully buy in for the first playoff game.
Jones-Buchanan, whose Leeds said famously won the Grand Final from fifth spot in 2011 and 2012, meaning they never had the luxury of a week off, said: “I’d like to come running downhill and just keep the momentum, keep playing, keep battle-hardened. You’ve just given yourself a permission slip not to play well.”
Wilkin said that, ultimately, it is down to the head coach, and Peters has done enough with that Rovers squad to make decisions that the squad will follow.
He added: “I’d trust my coach to make that call. If he thinks we need a rest, we need a rest, and Willie Peters is that team. He’s created that team. Never has a coach been, I think, more influential – maybe Brad actually at Leeds – on how a team performs, and if you’re a player under him, you trust him.
“If he says we’re tired, you need a rest.”
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John
September 6, 2026 at 11:49 am
I have one comment to make.
Let’s assume, whoever we play, we win the elimination play off.
Having seen the Leeds Wigan game yesterday evening, it’s safe to assume Wigan will finish top of the league.
Therefore, if we have any aspirations of making it to the grand final, we do NOT want to finish 6th as it would mean playing Wigan in the semi.
We need to beat St Helens and hope Wakey beat Leigh. I know Saints are “not at their best”, but let’s not rest too many players so we give ourselves a shot at fifth place.
Triple winners 2025 - WCC 2026.
September 6, 2026 at 12:25 pm
Wilkin is correct, it’s been a long hard season for Rovers,you could see the benefit of Rovers having rested against an inform Giants. Wigan benefited dishing out a reserve team before the wembley final, why risk more injuries or suspensions, let’s go into the play offs with fresh legs and a full first team.
What ever WP goes with I’ll back him.
Still 2 of the 4 trophies available to go for.COYR🔴⚪🔴⚪.