Rovers are the underdogs against the NRL championsJames Smailes Head of All Out Rugby League and Yorkshire sport at Reach plc
17:00, 17 Feb 2026
Hull KR head coach Willie Peters
Willie Peters has called on Hull KR players to once again channel the East Hull spirit in order to create another special moment for the club. The treble winners have recently enjoyed the greatest period in the club’s long and storied history, but Peters is not finished there and wants to add a trophy never won before by the Robins.
Rovers face Brisbane Broncos on Thursday night when they play in the World Club Challenge for the first time. While that fact alone brings Peters joy to be able to give the supporters such a night to experience, the two-time coach of the year knows the memories of the occasion will be far greater if it is a victory Rovers get to look back on.
Despite being the hosts for the MKM Stadium clash and being cheered on for the most part by a sold out stadium, Rovers will enter the game as underdogs against the NRL Premiers.
Beaten in their Super League opener at York Knights, Rovers need to raise their game a number of levels to get the better of the Aussie champions. And to do that Peters wants to see his side demonstrate their East Hull spirit once more.
“That’s what we pride ourselves in,” explains Peters. “We’ve always said that our aim is to make our community proud. How do we do that? It’s through our actions, through working hard for each other, not letting your teammate down.
“People don’t get things easy in East Hull. In any game we played last year, we didn’t get things easy, we had to work for it. Even in the Challenge Cup final and Grand Final, we had to work hard for it. That’s what we need to see this week.”
It’s not just about getting back to the Hull KR spirit and determination, Rovers need to show they can succeed in the areas that brought them success last season.
There was a lot of that missing last week at York. Rovers weren’t just beaten, they didn’t look themselves with all the key hallmarks absent from their game. Recapturing that is crucial for Peters, who wants to see a typical Hull KR performance against the Broncos.
“That’s something we’ve spoken about, the fact we have got a brand and we’ve got a way we prepare, a way we go about our approach to the game.
“That needs to be consistent. It has been consistent for a long time and you know we slipped in some areas last week and discipline was one. So for us we need to be really controlled in our approach and then obviously on game day when it matters, be really, really disciplined.
“I think people know when they come watch a KR team, they know how hard the players work for each other and how committed they are.
“We can never slip from that. You’re going to have days where you’re good with the ball and days when you are not so good and may make some bad reads. But when it comes to commitment, the way we play that can never ever change. If we get that right this week, we’ve every chance.”