Hull KR will be the firm favourites when they welcome St Helens in the Betfred Super League semi-finals on Saturday night and coach Willie Peters wants his team to replicate the “mentality” Saints displayed last week.
It has been a remarkable season for the Robins, claiming two historic trophy wins so far and targeting a third if they can make it into the Grand Final at Old Trafford.
It would be only their second taste of the ‘Theatre of Dreams’, after losing to Wigan last time out in 2024 on the way to the Warriors picking up their history-making quadruple.
While Hull KR have now made it to the ‘big dance’ before, they are coming up against a side who have plenty of experience in that arena too, Saints boasting 28 Grand Final winners’ medals from 11 of their squad.
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St Helens scored with the final play of the match as Shane Wright touched down to break Leeds’ hearts
Add to that their last-gasp incredible ‘Left to Wright’ try to beat Leeds that has already sent reverberations around the rugby league world and St Helens now look a confident side.
With that in mind, Peters knows his side will have to put in a big performance to make it to Old Trafford once again and he is happy for it to take to the last second if necessary as that is what play-off rugby is all about.
“We’ve got to plan and prepare and it was a game that will be shown for many years to come,” Peters said.
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Craven Park erupted as Arthur Mourgue avoided three tackles to run the length of the field to score for Hull KR
“It shows the fight Saints have got. Leeds feel hard done by with certain things that happened but at the end of the day we fully respect what Saints bring and what they’re about so we’re looking forward to this challenge.
“It is the semi-finals, so we need to be happy to win the game in the last second. That’s the important part when you play in the big games, it’s not about winning it in the first 10 or 20 minutes.
“Semi-finals are built, and you’ve got to be happy to be prepared to win, similarly to how we did in the Challenge Cup. That’s how we prepare for big games, so there’s a mentality side you need to approach the game in and we’re certainly doing that.
“We played them a couple of weeks ago and won 12-8 so that shows how close the teams are and how much improvement they’ve had. I’m not looking so much at what we’ve done in terms of scoreboard but areas we think we can expose. We’ve looked at that and that’s how we’ve approached it.”
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Highlights of the Super League match between Leeds Rhinos and St Helens
One thing levelled at Hull KR at the end of the regular season was a drop in their performances, losing to Wakefield and being taken all the way by Warrington in the final round.
However, Hull KR have just had a week off thanks to finishing first and Peters says he is more than happy with the energy levels of his side and reckons they are in “a decent spot” with a place booked for the semi-finals and the Challenge Cup and League Leaders’ Shield in the trophy cabinet.
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Highlights of the Super League match between Hull KR and Warrington Wolves
“Whoever wins the middle third will have a big say in the game. You’ve two big, strong packs going at it. Both will have energy, I’m sure of that, it’s a semi-final. Whoever is willing to stay in the fight longest will come out on top,” Peters added.
“Let’s watch at the weekend and we’ll see where they’re at. It’s something that’s been spoken about, I’ve answered questions around it but I’m certainly not going to answer more questions because it’s about what we deliver this weekend. Then you can say if the energy levels were up or not, that’s up to you what you write.
“I’m looking at the energy levels in training all week and I’m happy where they’re at. But it’s about where they’re at on Saturday then you guys can decide on that.
“We’re in a semi-final so we’re in a decent spot.”
Super League fixtures
Knockout stage
Elimination play-offs
- Fri September 26: Leigh Leopards 26-10 Wakefield Trinity
- Sat September 27 Leeds Rhinos 14-16 St Helens
Semi-finals
- Fri October 3: Wigan Warriors vs Leigh Leopards – 8pm
- Sat October 4: Hull KR vs St Helens – 5.30pm
Grand Final (Old Trafford)
- Sat October 11: TBC vs TBC – 6pm
Watch every Super League game live on Sky Sports. Watch both Super League semi-finals live on Sky Sports on October 3 and 4.