St Helens v Hull KR: Ending unwanted record not the motivation for Willie Peters as Rovers look to stay on track

The Robins killed two birds with one stone earlier this month when they beat Warrington Wolves for the first time on Willie Peters' watch and ended their long wait for a victory in the north west in the process.

Two more wins have followed to leave Rovers on the brink of securing their highest-ever Super League finish and a potential home semi-final, which would strengthen their chances of reaching a maiden Grand Final.

Peters' team have another opportunity to shake a monkey off their back this weekend when they face St Helens at the Totally Wicked Stadium, a venue they have failed to win at since 2013.

"We want to win every game," said Peters when asked about KR's 10-match losing streak in Saints' backyard.

"We've said that it doesn't matter who we play or where we play. We hadn't beaten Warrington in two years but I didn't say to the players that we need to beat Warrington because we haven't beaten them for two years.

"The same goes for this. Naturally we want to win this game and that record is squashed but that's not our motivation; our motivation is that we can stay top and continue to improve the way we have over the last two years.

"If we perform to the levels we have, we'll put ourselves in a position to win the game."

The Robins have shown no signs of slowing down as the finishing line comes into view, with last week's 36-4 victory over Catalans Dragons a contender for their most complete performance of the season.

After climbing back to the Super League summit, Rovers will continue with the narrow focus that has served them so well this year and park any thoughts about the League Leaders’ Shield.

"There's five games to go and the most important game for us is St Helens," said Peters.

"We need to stay consistent with who we are and what we've done. That's the key.

"It's very easy to have a successful run of winning games and then that starts to feel really good with the pats on the back and you can start to get ahead of yourselves and miss what's in front of you.

"The challenge for all of us is to make sure that our standards never alter from where we want to be. It doesn't matter who we're playing or where we're playing, that's the approach we want to have.

"We've got to have the discipline to maintain our standards, professionalism and the detail that goes into our week. If we continue to do that and the players perform at the level they are, we'll put ourselves in every game."

Remarkably, Rovers are eight points better off than 10-time champions St Helens.

Saints face a fight to secure their play-off place amid an ongoing injury crisis but Peters knows better than to underestimate the fallen giants.

"We know what St Helens team we're going to get," he said.

"They've had a challenging run with injuries which has been unfortunate for them. They've gone through a period where they've lost some key personnel.

"But if you have a look at St Helens and their stats, they're still up there in all the key areas. There are some words that are flying around about their year but a few weeks ago they were first and second in the key stats.

"They've still got injuries to key personnel and that's always going to upset their rhythm and flow in attack but they get Jonny Lomax back this week and Sione Mata'utia is back as well. They are two experienced players, one who is going to give direction and the other who will give some intent and grunt.

"It's easy to know which St Helens team we're going to get – but like every week, we need to worry about us and make sure we get the performances we've been producing every week."

After travelling to Saints, Rovers face home dates with Salford Red Devils and Leeds Rhinos either side of trips to Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards.

It is a challenging run-in but one that excites Peters as KR settle in among Super League's big hitters.

"We've got a run home where we're playing a lot of the top teams," he said.

"I think that's a good thing because it'll set us up for the back end of the year, regardless of where we finish.

"We want to play for the major trophies. If other teams want to come after you, that's a privilege.

"Teams have been chasing St Helens and Wigan for what they've done over the years. They're culture-first organisations and you can see that.

"That's what we're striving to be. We've improved – there's no doubt about that – but we're not the finished product."