Hull KR man Arthur Mourgue is loving life under the guidance of Willie Peters with the full-back having no regrets at all over the mid-season switch.
It’s been a whirlwind few months for the Frenchman, who started the season with Catalans Dragons before making the switch to KR in March after just a handful of Super League rounds. Since then he has made five appearances in red and white and it’s fair to say that almost every performance has been better than the last.
The full-back scored on his debut at Huddersfield Giants, but in the last three weeks he has turned in exceptional showings against Hull FC, Leeds Rhinos and Salford Red Devils and as he finds his feet in east Hull, it seems he is only going to continue improving.
“I feel very comfortable with this style of play and the way the team moves the ball,” Mourgue said in an interview with Perpignan-based outlet L’Independant. “There’s this desire to keep the ball alive and it’s fun to play with space around you.
“It’s a system that lends itself to players who like to run and it pushes you to run even more. Everything I love about this type of rugby.
“[Peters] is close to his players, he is a technician who has a clear vision of modern rugby and he transmits his vision very well to his squad and his assistants.”
Asked by the French newspaper if he had any regrets about the early move, Mourgue added: “No, but beyond the results, I enjoy myself and take pleasure in training and playing, it’s a driving force. It always feels good to dare to see something different and to continue to grow in a team where Willie Peters maintains a strong backbone from one year to the next. We feel that this club is building something.”
Arthur Mourgue has his say on Hull KR v Catalans Dragons
Of course, Mourgue will be reunited with his former teammates this afternoon in the Challenge Cup semi-finals, but it won’t be on the field. The 26-year-old is cup tied having played for the Dragons earlier in the competition and therefore he isn’t eligible to feature at the LNER Community Stadium.
However, he’ll be watching on hoping to see his new teammates secure their spot in next month’s Wembley final.
“Everyone knows that anything can happen in a Cup match,” he added. “There are hundreds of examples in the past where outsiders have eliminated the favourites. Standings no longer mean anything in the Cup.
“I have friends who play for the Dragons. I also took advantage this week of the Dragons being in England to see them, to see César Rougé, Théo Fages and Matthieu Laguerre at Leeds. But today, I’m at Hull KR, I’ve changed colours and I’ll be behind them on Saturday afternoon.”
