The two Rovers faced off against each other on Friday night for Craig Hall’s testimonial and it was Championship favourites Featherstone who dominated Super League’s Hull KR.
It was the first time that KR would head to the pitch led by Willie Peters and just the second time that Sean Long would lead out Featherstone but the side’s were worlds apart on the pitch.
Featherstone ran out 28-0 winners at the Millennium Stadium in a game that wasn’t massively close at any point really.
The home side did field a squad close to full strength and had already been out in pre-season with another victory over Super League opposition when they beat rivals Castleford Tigers on New Year’s Eve, however it still left a score line that few expected.
Peters’ fielded a lot of youth in his first game in charge of the Robins but star signing Tom Opacic featured and he was the shining light among a disappoint KR side.
Willie Peters was brutally honest in his assessment of the game and the side that he lost out to even tweeted some of his comments, which highlighted his disappointment.
An honest reflection from Sean Long's opposite number but what were your thoughts after the game? 💭
We head to Wakefield this Sunday and we want to stage a Blue Wall Takeover so be sure to head to the Rovers Store this week to purchase your tickets! 🎟#WAKvFEV | #BlueWall pic.twitter.com/N8kXwXxgt5
— Featherstone Rovers (@FevRoversRLFC) January 23, 2023
Peters said: “We knew they would be strong but I am disappointed with some individual performances.
“They beat us in every area, there is not one area that we were better than them in.”
KR will have to wait a while before they get a chance to improve on that performance when they face Leeds Rhinos on February 5th in their second and final pre-season game.
Meanwhile Featherstone will aim to take down a third consecutive Super League side as they face a Wakefield team this coming weekend, who have also won twice during pre-season.