It was announced this week that Nathan Cayless will be the man to take over from Willie Peters as Hull KR head coach, after agreeing a three-year deal.
Cayless, who as a player was a forward for New Zealand and one of the toughest men in the game, is currently the boss of the Parramatta Eels’ reserve grade side and is an assistant coach of the Kiwi national team.
He replaces Peters, who will join the PNG Chiefs ahead of their inclusion into the NRL in 2028, giving him a full year to prepare the club and the squad.
Whilst the 48-year-old was an esteemed player in his own right, the Robins role will be his first coaching gig at the top level, be that in the UK or down under.
With that comes pressure, and that pressure is elevated when you are arriving at the 2025 treble winners and current World Club Challenge holders.
With that in mind, we have taken a look at how other overseas coaches have fared at Craven Park, and what Cayless will be looking to achieve in order to be labelled a success.
Surprisingly, since their admission into Super League in 2007, the Robins have only had one permanent English-born head coach, with that being Chris Chester.
Danny McGuire took over from Tony Smith on an interim basis, and whilst Smith has a British passport, he is still Aussie-born, so he is included in this list.
Overseas Hull KR coaches ranked by win percentage
*stats taken from RugbyLeagueProject. Records include Challenge Cup, play-off and Super 8’s games.
1st: Willie Peters (2023-present) – P120 W88 L32 – Win Percentage: 73.3%
Coming in by far and away as KR’s most successful coach is the outgoing Peters, who has won just under three of every four matches.
With an 11-match and two nine-match win streaks over the past two years, it’s easy to see why the current boss can be listed as one of KR’s and Super League’s best-ever coaches.
2nd: Justin Morgan (2007-2011) – P151 W73 L75 D3 – Win Percentage – 48.4%
From their current boss to their first of the Super League era, Morgan was at the club for over a season prior to their promotion to the top flight.
With 2009 being the highlight season, winning 19 of 32 matches in what was a fourth-place finish, Morgan departed the side after 2011, in a campaign that ended with 16 wins of 31.
3rd: Tim Sheens (2018-2019) – P51 W21 L29 D1 – Win Percentage – 41.2%
Sheens was boss of the club in their Championship season in 2017, so his stats for that season are not counted in this list.
In a year and a half in the top flight, he coached just over 50 games, led them to an average of just over two wins in five.
4th: Craig Sandercock (2012-2014) – P77 W31 L43 D3 – Win Percentage – 40.3%
The current Wests Tigers NRLW boss coached the Robins for three seasons, and boasted a slightly smaller win rate than Sheens. Sandercock’s best winning run totalled five matches in 2013.
5th: Tony Smith (2019-2022) – P78 W 29 L46 D3 – Win Percentage – 37.2%
The esteemed Super League boss took over the Robins part-way through 2019, with Sheens’ departure due to a poor start to the season.
However, despite lasting three years, he was unable to make any real impact at the club. A six-game winning run in 2022 was his best effort, but that was followed by one win in nine, which ultimately cost him his job.
6th: James Webster (2016) – P32 W10 L20 D2 – Win Percentage – 31.25%
Returning to the helm after Chris Chester’s move to Wakefield, Webster lasted just one season at Craven Park, and it would be the year that saw them relegated from Super League.
That year, KR won just 10 of 32 matches, however four of those came in the ‘Middle 8’s’ competition. Ultimately, Gareth O’Brien’s late drop goal not only sealed KR’s exit from the top flight, but Webster’s P45 alongside it.
