Luis Johnson’s Hull KR season could be over following injury

The back-rower was forced off in clear discomfort in the early stages of the second half at the Totally Wicked Stadium and did not return.

Johnson is facing another long spell on the sidelines after missing the start of the Super League campaign with a foot injury.

Rovers head coach Tony Smith said: “Luis is not good news. We think he’s torn his pectoral.

“We need to get it scanned but we think it’s ruptured. It’ll be lengthy.

“I’m a bit gutted for Luis because he’s not long back.”

Rovers produced a competitive performance against the champions and threatened to spoil James Roby’s party on the day he broke Kevin Sinfield’s Super League appearance record.

But Smith was left to reflect on one that got away.

“In terms of effort, I’m pleased,” he said.

“We came here to challenge and we did in a lot of respects. We would have liked to have got a bit more out of it and been a bit more competitive in certain areas.

“Last plays weren’t great for us – we were a bit panicky. There were a few errors early in the tackle count as well.

“But we troubled them at times and did some good things. We’re not dispirited or downhearted about the result today.

“We’re disappointed that we didn’t get the result but the efforts we put in were very encouraging.”

On Roby, Smith added: “He’s a champion.

“I’ve always loved watching him. I had a brief time with him in the England set-up and he was a pleasure to coach.

“He’s a freak of rugby league. He looks like he could keep going for a whole lot longer yet.

“This record will take some beating. If anybody does, I hope they’re as good a person as James Roby.”