Match Preview: Hull KR (A)

St.Helens head to Hull KR to face the Robins in Saturday Super League action, which kicks off at Sewell Group Craven Park at 3pm.

đź“° SQUAD NEWS

Wellens makes two changes to the team that got that win over the Giants with Tommy Makinson and Sam Royle stepping out of the squad, whilst Lewis Dodd and Jake Wingfield are both back in contention for selection following injuries.

To find out more about our squad news, please click or tap on the image below.

Hull KR’s 21-man squad vs St.Helens

1. Peta Hiku, 2. Niall Evalds, 3. Tom Opacic, 4. Oliver Gildart, 5. Ryan Hall, 7. Mikey Lewis, 8. Sauaso Sue, 9. Jez Litten, 10. George King, 11. Dean Hadley, 12. James Batchelor, 13. Elliot Minchella, 14. Matt Parcell, 15. Sam Luckley, 16. Jai Whitbread, 17. Matty Storton, 20. Kelepi Tanginoa, 27. Tyrone May, 30. Leo Tennison, 35. Joe Burgess, 36. Jack Broadbent

âš« WHAT KIT WILL SAINTS BE WEARING?

St.Helens will be wearing our 24 Away Kit! Our colours for the road this year are a striking black and red combo, a modern and exciting colour clash that delivers a memorable design.

The shirt is predominantly a deep black with a tonal grey pixel design to the front and back, as well as a red pixelated Chevron design to the sides of the torso.

Get your 24 Away Kit online by visiting saintssuperstore.com!

📲 HOW CAN I FOLLOW THE GAME? 

Saints will be covering the match in full across our Live Match Centre where you can find out the team news, follow live game updates, get behind the scenes photos and catch up on all the stories of the game.

Our club social media accounts will also keep supporters updated. Follow us on: Twitter/X | Facebook | Instagram

Highlights and the full match replay will be available for Saints TV subscribers.

The match will be live on Sky Sports Arena and SuperLeague+ from 2:55pm.

🏉 THE REST OF ROUND 10

Thursday

Wigan Warriors 30-8 Catalans Dragons

Friday

Huddersfield Giants vs Salford Red Devils – 7:45pm
Leeds Rhinos vs London Broncos – 8pm
Warrington Wolves vs Hull FC – 8pm

Saturday

Leigh Leopards vs Castleford Tigers – 5:30pm

Take a look at how the Betfred Super League table looks ahead of Round 10 by clicking here.

đź’¬ COACH PREVIEW

Wellens knows how dangerous the Robins can be and discusses their style under Willie Peters. The Saints boss also gives the latest update on his squad, including confirmation on Alex Walmsley needing surgery meaning he will be unavailable for a prolonged period of time.

However, there was positive news with Agnatius Paasi who has recently returned to full training is shaping up well for a run with our Reserves in a few weeks time. Wellens also confirms Lewis Dodd is set to return to the 21-man squad for the game against Hull KR.

Saints TV subscribers can watch the full Coach Preview with Paul Wellens!

đź“Š THE RECORD AGAINST THE ROBINS

Super League summary

Saints and KR have met one another in Super League on 34 occasions, drawing just once. The head-to-head score lies firmly in favour of St Helens winning 23 times to Hull KR’s 10 victories.

The highest winning Saints score against the Robins came back in 2010, 68-12 which is also the Saints’ widest winning margin.

Last ten meetings

St Helens 28, Hull KR 6 (SLR22, 18/8/23)
Hull KR 26, St Helens 14 (SLR9, 14/4/23)
St Helens 38, Hull KR 12 (SLR24, 19/8/22)
St Helens 26, Hull KR 18 (SLR15, 12/6/22)
Hull KR 8, St Helens 42 (SLR4, 4/3/22)
Hull KR 0, St Helens 25 (SLR2, 1/4/21) (at Totally Wicked Stadium)
St Helens 21, Hull KR 20 (aet) (SLR12, 11/9/20)
Hull KR 18, St Helens 32 (SLR10, 30/8/20) (at Halliwell Jones Stadium, Warrington)
Hull KR 26, St Helens 42 (SLR14, 5/5/19)
St Helens 36, Hull KR 24 (SLR8, 29/3/19)

đź’¬ PLAYER PREVIEW

With Hull KR will be looking to build on a big result last week against the Wigan Warriors, and Matty knows that will mean they come into this game full of confidence.

Matty said that the mood in the camp has been good this week following back-to-back wins, but we know there is still improvement to be made. With how good Hull KR have been up to now he said we’ll have to start quick through the middle to set the tone.

Watch the full player preview with Leesy on Saints TV!

🗣️ WHO WILL BE THE MATCH OFFICIALS? 

Chris Kendall will be the referee for Saturday night’s fixture, and he will be supported by Touch Judges Dean Bowmer and Aaron moore and as with all Super League fixtures in 2024 there will also be the Video Referee Ben Thaler based at Rugby League’s remote refereeing base.

🔍 A LOOK AT KR

The Robins have been building themselves into a silverware challenging side over the last few years, and look to be a tough opposition both home and away and with that comes an expectation to do well in 2024. So far so good for them meeting that expectation, especially with the strength of their squad that has been assembled.

Hull KR Head Coach Willie Peters (left) with halfback Mikey Lewis (right).

Under Willie Peters the Robins have kicked on from the signs of promise under previous boss Tony Smith to be real contenders. In 2023, Hull KR finished fourth in the league and earned their way to a first Challenge Cup Final since 2015 and ran Leigh Leopards to the death before falling to a golden point drop goal. On the whole, it was a very impressive campaign for the East Hull club, but they’re looking to keep kicking on.

Their recruitment drive for this season has seen Tyrone May, Peta Hiku, Niall Evalds, Joe Burgess, Oliver Gildart, Jai Whitbread and Kelepi Tanginoa all join a side that already had some strong talent, none more so than the dynamic Mikey Lewis. Their star halfback put pen to paper on an extension until the end of 2028 in the off-season, showing full commitment to their longer term project.

New Zealand international Peta Hiku has added a wealth of experience to the Robins

KR began the season with a strong away derby day victory over their rivals Hull FC, further cementing themselves as the top team in the city at present. In the league heading into this fixture they have six wins and three losses, add into that they are in the Challenge Cup Semi-Finals they are pushing at the top end of the table and looking quite strong.

Evalds and Hiku alongside Lewis have been key performers, although they have switched roles with Evalds now at fullback and Hiku on an edge in the centres. However, May has fit in like a glove into the KR system, looking very much at home and showing an impressive kicking game, something Robins fans may have feared may be missing following the late loan move out of the club for Jordan Abdull to the Dragons.

Shaking off an away loss to Catalans Dragons, last week the Robins hosted Wigan Warriors at Sewell Group Craven Park and put in arguably their strongest performance of 2024 so far to beat the current Super League and World Club champions 26-10.

It is always a hostile place to visit, the Saints will have to rise above that and better the players opposite them to pick up what would be a big win at Hull KR.

THREE TO WATCH

  • Kelepi Tanginoa – the forward has a new lease of life in Hull since joining from Wakefield and has been putting in big shifts with plenty of big tackles and tackles breaks too – even scoring a full length try last week
  • Niall Evalds – the former Castleford and Salford man has shown his class for the Robins so far, creating and scoring tries, and the switch back to his preferred fullback position looks to have made him perform better
  • Mikey Lewis – undoubtedly ones of Super League’s brightest stars, if he plays well, the Robins team plays well, with a strong running game combined with a smart kicking selection too

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