Hull KR head coach Willie Peters has spoken ahead of his side’s Super League Round 20 meeting with Salford Red Devils with the Robins benefiting from having had a week off.

It was a much-needed break for Hull KR who, alongside Warrington Wolves, had played every weekend since the start of the season.

That fatigue had perhaps started to show in recent weeks with Peters accepting that their performance versus Leigh Leopards saw the team not reach the ‘intensity levels’ required.

Defeat to Leigh marked the second in a row so the win over Catalans just before the break was imperative in order to silence the talk of any Hull KR collapse, something Peters admitted himself.

Speaking to the press ahead of Thursday’s meeting with Salford, he’s outlined the return to training and why that time away was so essential.

The Australian said: “We had a session yesterday, obviously, we’re playing Thursday, so we’d like to get two sessions in, and then the captain’s run, so it’s three sessions in total.”

“We gave them a good five or six days, so yeah, they needed it. They’ve had 24 weeks straight so it was a long, long, tough grinding period for them every single week.”

Hull KR coach focused on final push after much-needed rest

Speaking more about that intense run, during which they lost just three times, Peters added: “We probably had one little dip, I think, against Leigh, where we probably weren’t at our best, or the levels of intensity weren’t at our best. I think it’s a credit to how the guys have turned up every week, because it was a tough grinding period there.

“We’ve had a reset now and the most important part is what we do in the back-end of the season, which we’re looking forward to doing.”

That final game before the break, the win in the south of France, saw captain Elliot Minchella rested for the first time all season and Peters explained that he’d been looking to rest the loose forward for a while.

Confirming that Minchella is back in contention this week, Peters said: “I wanted to give him a two-week period. I think it probably came a week earlier, in hindsight, which is a wonderful thing. He’s played pretty much every week, so he needed some time off. It was a decision that I made for him.”

As for others who missed that trip to France, Jez Litten will be back after going through HIA protocols and there was a positive boost in regards to Danny Richardson. The playmaker limped off in the loss to Leigh and was expected to require surgery but it’s been confirmed that Richardson will rehab the injury without surgery, though no return timeline was confirmed.

As for hooker Litten, he had also played every Super League game prior to Round 19 and Peters conceded: “He was another one that we were going to look to give a rest at some stage and that one was forced in terms of his HIA but he’ll be back this week.”

Aside from Oliver Gildart, Hull KR are at full-strength for the final eight games of the year as they seek to complete an historic treble.

THIS WEEK AHEAD 📌

Our men take on Salford on Thursday evening with our Reserves playing the Red Devils on Saturday, while our Women welcome Bradford on Sunday 👊#UpTheRobins🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/yPLnuRYofG

— Hull KR (@hullkrofficial) July 28, 2025