Hull KR still have a perfect record but one of their toughest tasks yet comes down to a decision that head coach Willie Peters will have to make.
The Robins have had a brilliant start to their season so far with seven wins from seven in all competitions, meaning they sit atop Super League ahead of their cross-city rivals who they will take on in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals next weekend.
An away trip to winless Huddersfield Giants could pose a potential banana skin on Sunday afternoon but given just how clinical the Robins have been, particularly in recent weeks, and the injury crisis the Giants are going through, it would be a brave person to tip Luke Robinson’s side.
Early season success has been built off the back of a rock-solid defence whilst their attack is also clicking into gear with off-season recruits like Tom Davies proving a real point of difference.
Whilst everything is rosy at Craven Park right now, Hull KR look set to face a tough challenge in the coming weeks and that challenge actually falls at the feet of head coach Willie Peters regarding how and where does he blood in new signing Arthur Mourgue?
Willie Peters’ Hull KR conundrum as Arthur Mourgue question posed
A new bromance is formed 🤝
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— Hull KR (@hullkrofficial) March 19, 2025
The Robins had agreed to sign Mourgue for the 2026 season but the Frenchman was brought in early after an approach from his former club Catalans Dragons, expressing an interest in getting the deal done early.
That offered salary relief for Catalans as well as clarity over their spine which has chopped and changed all season long, but for Hull KR it simply adds confusion to their own spine.
Mourgue is one of the competition’s finest full-backs and is also capable of playing in the halves whilst Hull KR currently have one of the most versatile backs in Super League as their full-back in Jack Broadbent.
Broadbent has already spent time at centre and in the halves this season but full-back is where he’s settled after deputising when Niall Evalds was injured, before eventually locking down the position.
Willie Peters put a huge vote of confidence in Broadbent last week when he declared that the ex-Castleford and Leeds man would be full-back for the game against Leigh, a match where Broadbent generally performed well barring a shakey drop under a high ball.
Fast forward to this weekend’s game and new recruit Arthur Mourgue has been named in the Hull KR’s 21-man squad which poses the question of who will play full-back and how does Peters play this across the next few weeks?
Hull KR’s full-back dilemma
Credit: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com
Whilst the game against Huddersfield is still worth two points, all eyes will be on Hull FC the week after and Peters himself can’t help but be conscious of that, particularly having seen players from the Black and Whites go down injured last night.
Cade Cust failed a HIA in Hull’s win over Castleford meaning he will miss that game and Peters will certainly be wary of the same happening to his own players.
For the most part, Hull KR have solid depth given their incredible squad, including at full-back, however, Arthur Mourgue is cup-tied meaning he cannot play against Hull FC. As such, Peters could be tempted to debut the Frenchman this weekend and allow Jack Broadbent a deserved rest and ensure he avoids injury and/or suspension for the clash with Hull FC.
Others would argue against changing a winning team, particularly when Broadbent has played so well, but does the risk overcome the reward?
Should Mourgue not feature this weekend then his next chance to debut for the Robins would be at home against Wigan in Round Seven, but by that point, Mourgue will have not played a game since March 8th, almost five weeks ago meaning there’s plenty of chance he could be rusty.
The solution certainly seems to be to blood the Frenchman in this weekend at the expense of the unfortunate Broadbent, who would then be guaranteed to play in the Challenge Cup tie and stake his claim going forward. At that point, it’s anybody’s guess how Peters plays out his full-back conundrum, a problem that plenty of Super League coaches would welcome.
