Willie Peters highlights crucial Hull KR man amid Sam Burgess praise 

Hull KR head coach Willie Peters has picked out a player who could prove crucial in today’s Challenge Cup semi-final against Warrington Wolves, whilst also showering praise on the opposing team’s head coach, Sam Burgess.

Peters knows Burgess better than most head coaches in Super League with the Australian previously involved in the South Sydney Rabbitohs coaching set-up before joining Hull KR, the Bunnies being the club that Burgess famously played for and then started his coaching career with.

As such, Peters has plenty of respect for Burgess but also a good insight into the Englishman so he knows exactly what to expect from Warrington today, with a physical battle anticipated.

Peters said: “I knew Sam’s style from when they first started playing and it’s evident that their style is similar to the way Sam played, they compete extremely hard, they play physical and that’s the way Sam played. That’s the way he coaches, you can see that in his team

“Sam obviously last year had some injuries and some setbacks but look how he’s responded. For me, it says a lot about Sam as a person and as a coach.”

He concluded: “I’m close with Sam, there’s a lot of respect there but obviously this week we’re both trying to help our teams get into a Challenge Cup Final.”

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Hull KR leaning on Rhyse Martin kicking game

One man who could be key in helping Hull KR to the Challenge Cup final is second-rower Rhyse Martin, a player who is starting to find his form in a Rovers shirt after an injury-disrupted first year.

“It’s consistency that we’re after, and we’re starting to see that in Rhyse’s game,” Peters said during his pre-match presser.

“When he’s at his best, he certainly offers a lot to the team. He’s finding his feet again now. I want him playing with freedom. I want him enjoying the physical parts and the competitive parts of the game, but he’s got a bit more to that.

“He can play with the ball. He can kick. There’s some skill there, so we try and promote that with him but it’s good to see he’s starting to find some consistency, that’s for sure.”

Peters also conceded that Martin’s goal-kicking, which percentage-wise is the best in Super League of any player to attempt 30 or more kicks at an impressive 87.5%, will be key.

“Huge,” Peters said of the value, adding: “There’s not many like him in the game that can slot them from everywhere, so it certainly helps. As I said, he’s an important part of what we do.”

Thus far, Martin leads the Challenge Cup competition in 2026 for the number of goals with a whopping 28, thanks in large to huge wins over Lock Lane and York Knights. His Super League record of 28/32 is also enough to place him fifth in the number of goals, though he dominates in terms of percentage.