Hull KR travel to face York Knights as they begin their defence of Super League but they could be without some key players.
Willie Peters’ side completed the treble in 2025 whilst opponents York just missed out on the Championship treble, with the Grand Final eluding them as they lost to Toulouse.
Now promoted to Super League for the first time ever, they’re set to be led by Mark Applegarth as he begins his second stint in Super League.
It’s expected to be a sellout crowd at the LNER Stadium with plenty of fans travelling from East Hull, however, they will be without at least one key man, and possibly another.
Based on the 21-man squads selected and the club’s current injury issues, we’ve predicted how York Knights and Hull KR may line up for the first game of the 2026 Super League season.
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York Knights predicted line-up
Mark Applegarth was able to name the exact same 21-man squad as the one he named for the Challenge Cup clash with Barrow Raiders, however, there is expected to be a change to his line-up.
Josh Griffin was named for the trip to Cumbria but did not play though he is a chance to face Hull KR with Mark Applegarth providing a positive injury update to the media.
On Griffin, he said: “Josh is fine, he will be in contention for Hull KR. We’ve done a bit of training with him, he’s had a couple of niggles here and there, but he could have played both games.”
York also received a boost in the fact that Paul McShane wasn’t banned, despite being red-carded against Barrow, so it may just be a case of Griffin joining a relatively unchanged side.
Predicted York Knights XIII: Toa Mata’afa; Ben Jones-Bishop, Sam Wood, Nikau Williams, Scott Galeano; Ata Hingano, Liam Harris; Xavier Va’a, Paul McShane, Paul Vaughan; Josh Griffin, Jesse Dee; Jordan Thompson
Interchanges: Denive Balmforth, Jack Martin, Justin Sangare, Oli Field
Hull KR predicted line-up
For Hull KR, they will be missing some power in their pack with signings Tom Amone (broken hand) and Jordan Dezaria (hamstring) both out with injuries, however, it’s the fitness of Sam Luckley that they may be sweating on.
Willie Peters said that he was ‘hopeful’ of having the prop back for the game against York with Luckley having undergone knee surgery in the off-season.
“At this stage, he’s on track,” Peters confirmed when speaking to the media on Monday but whether Hull KR risk him ahead of the World Club Challenge is another matter, especially when other alternatives exist.
Normally used off the bench anyway, players such as Dean Hadley could move to prop to allow Rhyse Martin a start. Alternatively, Jai Whitbread could start with Hull KR possibly turning to Tom Whitehead for bench impact.
Starting Hadley would allow utility back Jack Broadbent to be named on the bench, something that may appeal to Peters in a game KR would be expected to score plenty in.
Predicted Hull KR XIII: Arthur Mourgue; Tom Davies, Peta Hiku, Oliver Gildart, Joe Burgess; Mikey Lewis, Tyrone May; Sauaso Sue, Jez Litten, Dean Hadley; James Batchelor, Rhyse Martin; Elliot Minchella
Interchanges: Karl Lawton, Jai Whitbread, Jack Brown, Jack Broadbent
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Eric T Cat
February 12, 2026 at 12:43 pm
Last season we had Michael Buffer give his famous “Let’s get ready to rumble!”, an dvthen Leigh and Wigan delivered in a stand up, knock em out, drag em out battle to the death! An absolute classic for those lucky enough to be there, for those at home a bouncing about in your chair screaming at the telly match! It was an amazing spectacle to kick off one the greatest seasons in Rigby League history!
What do the rugby league have lined up forvtonight to follow that up? A wet rainy night in Tork?
This sport learns nothing, it doesn’t deserve to succeed to be blunt. I’ve not bought a season ticket. I’ve let my Sky Subscription go, I was going to get a Watch NRL subscription, but…I just can’t be bothered anymore. I’ll look at the results, I’ll do the fantasy league, but they’re free. I van’tbring myself to watch the BBC and their condescending “for those watching for the first time”, let’s be clear, League has enjoyed more and longer coverage than Union going back in history, the sport has existed since 1895, every person alive on Earth was born after the creation of the sport, now few since before the renamed to the Rugby League in 1922. I still expect them to hand Jon Wilkin a pint of mild, flat hat, and give him a whippet on a string to hold stood in front of the cameras. Is there an operational mill or pit left in Lancashire or Yorkshire?
I’m sick of the Establishment bias, I will be blunt, IMHO Rugby Union is bloody awful, it’s dire, it’s rubbish, my ex-wife, a Surrey girl, once asked me “Is rugby union for those who are too old, too fat, and not good enough to play rugby league? You could play this! This is rubbish! Nothing happens“, she was watching top-flight premiership rugby union, Bath versus Northampton I think, I had taken the kids out to play in the park, she thought it was odd. I had gone out when there was rugby on, so she had settled down to watch it., and couldn’t understand what was going wrong and why it wasn’t what she was used to watching with me. She could hardly be accused of having a bias as she was not a sports fan generally, and when she was given a free choice, she rejected union completely, she became something of a league fan, worse still a Leeds Rhinos fan, albeit her selection was based on the team with the most players she fancied.
Why doesn’t this sport fight back? Why not tell the true history of Union andvit’s war against League. Tell people the reality of the bias, the hatred, the cigotry, the hypocrisy, and worse!