Hull KR return to Doncaster as benchmark but with more still to prove - James O'Brien comment
Two years ago, Hull KR were humbled in Doncaster.
After watching Rovers succumb to Wigan Warriors in a chastening Challenge Cup semi-final, Willie Peters admitted the world club champions were the benchmark and his side remained some distance from reaching their level.
This weekend, the Robins return to the Eco-Power Stadium as the sport's new standard-bearers, holders of every major honour and just 80 minutes from another Wembley appearance.
Where the 2024 defeat exposed a side still searching for proof they belonged among the elite, this Hull KR team carry themselves with the assurance of champions.
The self-doubt that hampered them two years ago has been replaced by the belief and authority of a group that now expect to win these games.
Which is why Sunday carries such significance.
Against a dangerous Warrington Wolves side and with Peters' impending departure looming over the club, Rovers have the chance to show they are here to stay and not merely passing through.
Peters' men could hardly be in better form, scoring 268 points across a six-game winning run in which they have conceded just 44.
There is a caveat, however, in the strength of opposition.
The Robins have largely feasted on wounded prey; this week, they take on a Warrington outfit riding high in Super League with a relatively healthy squad.
While George Williams is among those absent, Sam Burgess' team represent KR's sternest test since their March defeat at Catalans Dragons.
Warrington have their own mental baggage but embraced the underdog tag against Rovers at Wembley last year.
Marshalled superbly by Challenge Cup specialist Marc Sneyd, the Wire were the better team and worthy of the win.
As it was, Tom Davies finished Tyrone May's hopeful kick in the dying minutes to edge the Robins over the line and kick off a period of success like no other in their history.
What followed has been a chain reaction: one trophy quickly becoming two, then three, then four.
Rovers have never failed to reach the semi-finals of any competition since Peters' arrival in late 2022, developing a big-game temperament along the way.
Reaching the last four is one thing but dynasties are built on what comes after.
If proof were needed that KR are evolving into that kind of side, their knockout record provides it. They have not lost a sudden-death fixture since the 2024 Grand Final, repeatedly delivering when the stakes are at their highest.
That resilience has been forged, in part, by the pain inflicted by Wigan. It was the Warriors who exposed their shortcomings in Doncaster two years ago and again later that season at Old Trafford.
Now, as Matt Peet's side prepare to face St Helens in Saturday's first semi-final, they are the ones facing questions about their standing at the top of the game.
Wigan have had the look of a fading force since losing to Rovers in last season's Grand Final rematch, exacerbated by the loss of Bevan French to injury.
The Warriors remain dangerous but no longer carry the same aura of invincibility.
It is Hull KR who now set the standard. The next challenge is to prove they are built to last.
That status will be tested once Peters – the architect of KR's rise from nearly men to the benchmark team – moves on at the end of the season.
For now, the focus is on Sunday's semi-final.
Whatever the wider talk of legacy and transition, the immediate task is to seize the opportunity in front of Rovers.
This is their last chance to reach Wembley under Peters – and for the third time in four years, no less – and one of the final opportunities to win silverware on his watch.
The surroundings may be the same but Hull KR are a different beast on their return to Doncaster.