Hull KR's Willie Peters relives rude awakening as Sean Long lays foundations at Featherstone Rovers

The Australian got his first taste of English rugby league as a player in 1999 after swapping South Sydney Rabbitohs for Gateshead Thunder.

Peters tapped into his experience as compatriot Tom Opacic prepared to make his English bow at a Championship ground in the middle of winter.

“I remember playing in Sheffield and it was a really good grounding for me of what the game was like here," said Peters.

“You go to a ground like Featherstone, with a hostile crowd that’s really passionate, and I remember what it was all about.

“It’ll be a good grounding for him.”

It turned out to be a rude awakening for both men on a chastening evening for Hull KR in freezing conditions at Post Office Road.

Peters must have felt like he was reliving his Sheffield experience all over again, this time as a head coach.

The usual pre-season caveat applies and the Robins were without 10 likely starters – but it was far from an ideal start for the new boss.

His fringe players had an opportunity to prove the theory that this is the deepest KR squad in years and they fluffed their lines.

By the time Peters made his way out for his post-match interview shortly after full-time, the pitch was frozen solid.

After remarking that the surface had deteriorated drastically in the space of a couple of hours, he picked the bones out of a frustrating performance in a 28-0 defeat against Championship opposition.

The Robins were one of the first clubs back in for pre-season at the end of October, yet they had the look of a team that had been cobbled together.

Pre-season or not, that would have hurt Peters after months of hard work.

The performance could best be described as scratchy with passes missing their mark and players reading from different scripts.

KR had two established half-backs on the field in Jordan Abdull and Rowan Milnes, yet the visitors rarely troubled the Featherstone defence.

After fielding an experienced pack, Peters saw his forwards emphatically outmuscled.

The Robins played the majority of the game without a specialist hooker after Jez Litten suffered a head knock – but Peters expected more, particularly in the first half with a stronger side.

Peters was measured in his assessment of the game, perhaps relieved to escape a frozen Featherstone with only minor knocks.

"We knew they'd be strong but I'm disappointed with some of our individual performances," said the Robins head coach.

"They beat us in every area. There's not one area that we were better than them in.

"The beauty is it's the first friendly. We've got a lot of work to do, though."

It was a tough initiation for star signing Opacic and a far cry from his last outing, a 40-4 victory over Canberra Raiders in the NRL semi-finals.

After standing out in a star-studded Parramatta Eels side on the road to the Grand Final, the centre could have been forgiven for thinking a hit-out against a Championship side would be a walk in the park by comparison.

But a cold winter's evening at the home of a second tier team can be a sobering experience for any overseas player, as Peters warned before kick-off.

Opacic did not fluke his way to the top in the NRL and will prove his quality in time.

Later in the season, he may well look back on a testing night at Featherstone as the jolt he needed at the start of his Super League stay.

Opacic will get another chance to play himself into form when the Robins host Leeds Rhinos in their second and final trial game at Craven Park on February 5.

Strengthened by the return of his senior men, Peters will be desperate to see the traits he is trying to instil, for his own peace of mind more than anything at the beginning of his journey as a head coach.

He took some solace in Featherstone's billing as the promotion favourites in the Championship.

Rovers blew away the cobwebs with a win over Castleford Tigers on New Year's Eve and it showed against a team finding their way.

The Featherstone pack dominated through the middle and the hosts had the craft to open up Hull KR on the edges.

After finding themselves scratching their heads during Brian McDermott's reign, fans could be heard commenting on how well drilled and structured Rovers look in the early days under Sean Long, who like Peters is just starting out as a head coach.

Elijah Taylor, who captained Salford Red Devils to the Super League semi-finals last season, is the ace in Featherstone's pack.

"He's a quality player," said Long.

"It's what he brings off the field as well with his standards and leadership.

"He's a top-notch player. I was really impressed with him."