Featherstone Rovers v Hull KR: Sheens expects tough test at Featherstone

FEATHERSTONE ROVERS have given Hull KR more trouble than most teams in the Championship this year and Tim Sheens expects it to be a similar scenario tomorrow.
Feathertone Rovers v Hull KR.Feathertone Rovers v Hull KR.
Feathertone Rovers v Hull KR.

The Robins will travel to Craven Park looking for a fourth successive win in the Qualifiers, which would be a giant step towards a rapid return to Super League.

But Featherstone pushed 
Hull KR all the way before losing 30-22 at Craven Park on Good Friday and the sides drew 20-20 at Post Office Road three months ago and Sheens, Hull KR’s coach, predicted: “This week won’t be any different to our two previous encounters against Featherstone this year.

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“We are expecting another tough game. They’ll come out hard and their game against Widnes was a one-off I think.

“They won’t play that poorly again and it was one of those games where Widnes were running hot and every kick bounced their way.

“Featherstone at home are always difficult to beat and they’ll have a must-win mentality.

“They know they need to win to keep their chances in the Qualifiers alive and we know how important a win would be for us as well, so you can expect a pretty hotly contested game.”

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Tomorrow’s away tie is Hull KR’s last meeting with lower league opposition and Sheens added: “We’ve worked very hard this week on keeping the guys focused on Featherstone and not looking at the three Super League teams we’ve got to face after this.

“Taking it one week at a time has worked for us all season and we need to continue with that now. We need to be consistent over the full 80 minutes, no silly passes or drop offs in intensity, simple missed tackles or failures to defuse kicks.

“They’re the things you continually work at and again this week we’ll be focused on trying to do those better and not giving them too many opportunities.”

Featherstone were crushed 58-10 at Widnes Vikings in their previous match two weeks ago, but coach John Duffy believes they are ready to bounce back.

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He said: “Hull KR are very dangerous and got a good result when they won at Leigh. They are looking to go straight back up, but we’ve just got to make it as tough as possible for them and also look after ourselves.

“I’ll be looking for an improvement in attitude from the Widnes game and a bit more consistency with our play, definitely in defence. It’s more of an attitude and mentality thing that has been letting us down.”