Huddersfield Giants coach Ian Watson delivers ominous warning to Hull KR as he provides Theo Fages update

The Robins have fresh memories of their Challenge Cup semi-final loss in early May when Huddersfield were dominant from start to finish.

Rovers suffered a hangover in the aftermath of that painful Elland Road defeat but arrested the slide before the international break to reaffirm their play-off credentials.

Tony Smith has shut down talk of revenge in the build-up but Watson believes Hull KR are using the semi-final as motivation.

He wants his team to be hungrier as they look to nail down a top-four spot in Super League.

“It’s a huge challenge,” said Watson, who welcomes back captain Luke Yates and half-back Olly Russell this week.

“Obviously they’re smarting. I’ve seen quite a lot of reports over the last few weeks talking about the semi-final and making sure they get their own back, and that this one could help kick-start the rest of their season.

“But this isn’t just a huge game for Hull KR; it’s a huge game for us as well.

“We’ve got a little block of games here where if we do our job, are really professional and attack it, we can put ourselves in a really, really strong position going into some really exciting games at the back end of the year against the likes of St Helens.

“We’ve got to make sure our focus is 100 per cent going to Hull KR.”

Rovers snapped a four-game losing run thanks to a big win over Salford Red Devils before giving St Helens a scare at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Watson has seen a difference in the Robins since Huddersfield’s last meeting with Smith’s side.

“They look like they’ve tried to adapt a couple of things,” said Watson, whose team beat Rovers comfortably in the reverse Super League fixture in February.

“Maybe they learnt a few lessons over the last few weeks and through the semi-final as well. They look like they’re trying to be a little bit more structured in what they do and a little bit more composed in how they turn the ball over.

“They’ve obviously had a rethink about the way they play but they’ve still got all the adhoc style to them as well. They’re trying to balance that now with a little bit of structure.

“We’ll expect them to be a different team than they were in the semi-final and even in the first league game than we played.”

The Giants have dominated the fixture in recent times, losing only one of the previous nine meetings.

The sole defeat came at Craven Park last April when Rovers snatched a 25-24 win in the closing stages.

“I quite like going there,” he said.

“It’s a great place to play. The crowd always turns out and get behind their team. They’ll be going up for every 50/50 decision as well.

“We know to expect a different atmosphere at Hull KR. They’re one-off games when you go there.”

Huddersfield had to watch on as Hull KR reaced the play-off semi-finals but they have clicked emphatically in Watson’s second season in charge.

The Giants are regarded as geniune title contenders, a tag Watson is relishing.

“The fact people are talking about us being a threat is good,” he said. “That’s how we want people to talk about us.

“It’s completely different to last year when people were knocking us and not seeing where we were going to.

“It’s good to have that pressure competing at the top end of the table. It’s what you play the game for.”

Huddersfield have kept pace with the sides at the top of Super League despite being without star signing Theo Fages for chunks of the season.

The former St Helens half-back has featured only six times in the league, while fellow off-season arrival Chris Hill has been limited to 10 appearances.

Watson is set to welcome both players back for the business end of the season with Fages targeting the Magic Weekend clash with Salford Red Devils on July 10.

“He’s looking good at the moment, touch wood,” said Watson on Fages.

“He’s out running on the field so he’ll not be too far off. The physios want to make sure once he comes back, he stays back.

“Hopefully we get Theo and Hilly back and they stay fully fit until the end of the year.”