Hull KR boss Willie Peters picks out biggest improvements after strong start to Super League season

The Robins flirted with success under Tony Smith – reaching two semi-finals in the space of seven months – but were guilty of lurching from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Peters quickly set about improving KR's mentality and has seen immediate results to the tune of eight wins in the opening 11 rounds of Super League, leaving his side joint second ahead of Friday's trip to leaders Warrington Wolves.

The Australian believes Rovers now have the confidence to win come rain or shine.

Asked to pick out the biggest improvement since his arrival, Peters replied: "The belief.

"I was pretty open about that when I first got here. I definitely saw cracks, I suppose, and a team that could play well on the day and win games but there were certain conversations that I could hear about it being hard to go to certain places and win. They don't happen anymore.

"You need to have evidence behind you so you can get confidence and belief. Our evidence was around what we did in pre-season for the first game but now our evidence is around the first 11 games.

"The belief within the group is the biggest standout for me."

The Robins won admirers for their enterprising style during the Smith era but struggled to find the right balance between attack and defence.

That is beginning to change under Peters, whose team have scored 258 points and conceded only 141 in 11 games.

Peters is determined to give the club's supporters a defence to be proud of, not just now but for the rest of his tenure.

"The other standout is our defence," added Peters.

"We were an attack-focused team previously. We made some changes around that to fall in love with defence because that's a sign of what your team is and who you are.

"Our fans are resilient people, hardworking and working-class people. We want to replicate that through what we do in our defence.

"They're the two things that stand out but we've done nothing, absolutely nothing in terms of where we want to get to.

"We don't ever want complacency to creep in because it can change so quickly."

Rovers have a six-point cushion in the race for the play-offs and know a victory at Warrington would move them level with Daryl Powell's table-toppers.

Peters feels talk of a top-two finish is premature as the Robins aim to prove they can stay the course.

"We want to strive for that but there's such a long time to go," he said.

"We definitely belong there at the moment. If you have a look at the top sides in attack and defence, we're second for both.

"I remember saying before the season started that you usually get trends from round 10 onwards on teams and where they're at.

"It's no fluke that Warrington are number one but it's no fluke where we are as well.

"The players have worked extremely hard on our defence and our attack to put ourselves in a good position on both, which then puts you in a good position in the overall table.

"We deserve to be second or third at the moment but we need to maintain that for the next 15 weeks."

Rovers will arrive at the Halliwell Jones Stadium protecting a six-match winning streak, which has featured victories over three of last season's top six in Leeds Rhinos, St Helens and Huddersfield Giants.

Peters is confident the Robins will last the pace as long as they stick to what has worked so far.

"I haven't seen anything to tell me otherwise," he added.

"We need to manage the players because there's such a long part of the season to go.

"There are going to be some ups and some downs. I'd love to win every game from hereon in but it's unlikely that's going to happen. It's how you react to the dips along the way.

"If we get our processes right, the outcome will look after itself."

Hull KR are primed to fight for silverware on two fronts, with Championship side Batley Bulldogs up next in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup at Craven Park.

Although he is fully focused on this week's clash with Warrington, Peters is eyeing a special cup run.

"The Challenge Cup was always massive when I was here previously," said the former Wigan Warriors half-back. "I watched it as a kid and it was huge.

"To get to Wembley would be a dream. We'll be working as hard as we can to achieve that."