Hull KR will head to Wigan Warriors with a significantly weakened side after making a raft of changes to their 21-man squad for a repeat of last year’s Grand Final.
Willie Peters’ extended squad features just nine players who featured in the surprise defeat to Toulouse Olympique. Tom Davies, Peta Hiku, Joe Burgess, Jez Litten, Dean Hadley, James Batchelor, Elliot Minchella, and Ryan Hampshire are all absent.
They are joined on the sidelines by Rovers’ first-choice halfback pairing of Mikey Lewis and Tyrone May, who sit out due to suspension and injury, respectively, as well as Tevita Pangai Jnr and Jai Whitbread, who are also unavailable for selection.
Rover to hand out debuts
Rovers will now certainly hand out debuts to a number of players. Cobie Wainhouse, Dec Murphy, Frankie Dearlove, Alife Woods, Ryan Westerman and Flynn Holden could all make their first appearances for the Red and Whites, while Lee Kershaw and Harvey Horne could make their Super League debuts for the club, having made one appearance each in the Challenge Cup.
For the Robins, the game against Wigan is their fourth in 14 days, having played last Tuesday against Warrington Wolves, a rescheduled game from round two due to their involvement in the World Club Challenge.
Their loss to Toulouse on Saturday has left them just two points ahead of play-off chasing St Helens with three rounds to go, with the two teams set to meet on the final day of the season. Rovers have a superior points difference of 223, meaning Saints would likely need to win two more games than the Robins to overtake them.
Despite back-to-back defeats, the Robins are only two points off fourth-placed Wakefield Trinity. A top four finish secures a home play-off in the first round of the finals.
However, they will head to Wigan with a much-changed side as Peters continues to prepare for the final rounds of the season.
Hull KR’s 21-man squad to face Wigan Warriors
Arthur Mourgue, Oliver Gildart, Sauaso Sue, Tom Amone, Jack Broadbent, Sam Luckley, Rhyse Martin, Karl Lawton, Noah Booth, Bill Leyland, Lee Kershaw, Jack Charles, Louix Gorman, Harvey Horne, Zach Fishwick, Cobie Wainhouse, Declan Murphy, Frankie Dearlove, Alfie Woods, Ryan Westerman, Flynn Holden.
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