'Teams will be looking over their shoulder': Hull KR hoping to peak at perfect time

The best sides are not necessarily those who dominate from start to finish but those who click into gear as the summer light begins to fade.

Hull KR are among the teams hoping their best is still to come.

Their hopes of defending the title they won for the first time last year appeared to be fading but a timely upturn in form has put them firmly back in the mix.

Although the Robins have not convinced in the same way as their treble-winning campaign, Willie Peters believes the ongoing three-match winning run has put their rivals on notice.

"There are going to be times when teams plateau during the year but I'd like to think now is the time that we start to build," said the KR boss.

"This is going to be a testing time for us and we'll be able to have a look at where we are after these four games.

"Once we get through this period and are in a strong position, certainly teams will be looking over their shoulder because we know what we're capable of and I'm sure they do as well when we put it together.

"What we're aiming to do is play our best at the back end of the year and build from that. There were some promising signs in the second half against Cas because we were just getting by in the first half. Even though we had won a couple of games well on points, it probably wasn't enough to cut it.

"I want to see us going after teams more in yardage. It's no secret that we've suffocated teams in the past and built our best attack off the back of that, instead of trying to look for tries, not getting them and then frustration creeps in with yardage penalties."

KR's bid to rediscover the defensive intensity that underpinned their march to last year's title will be tested by a demanding spell of three fixtures in nine days, including their game in hand against Warrington Wolves next Tuesday.

Those home matches will be swiftly followed by a trip to rivals Wigan Warriors.

Peters has been working to ensure KR's mentality is where it needs to be for an unusually hectic period.

"I've never seen this before," he said.

"Look, we're going to embrace it. You need to. I'll certainly say it's too many games for the players – and I'm saying that before it happens – but we're embracing this period. It's an opportunity for us to put ourselves in a really strong position.

"The players enjoy playing. We've looked at it like a schoolboy carnival where you play six games in two days. Back then, you'd feel a bit sore and sorry for yourself afterwards but you enjoyed it as a kid and that's the approach we're going to take.

"It's better than doing pre-season for them. That's the way we're looking at it."

Tevita Pangai Junior is set to return against former club Catalans Dragons this Thursday after serving a six-match suspension, while Jesse Sue and Oliver Gildart miss out with minor issues.

Beyond that, Peters plans to remain fluid with team selection through to the clash with Toulouse Olympique on Saturday week.

"Someone like Jess could probably play this weekend but we want to rest him," said the Australian.

"We'll just look at it after each game. We'll look at performance and whether players need a rest or someone else needs an opportunity.

"There's no set plan to say we'll have team one, team two and team three. There's nothing like that at all.

"We know what the team is going to be this week and we'll look straight after the game at what we'll go with against Warrington.

"It's an important block for us. We've got three home games, which is great for the people of east Hull to be able to come down, support us and get us through it. They always do.

"We'll go game by game. We want to win every game but also want to make sure players are fresh enough and performing at their best."

Rovers still have work to do to confirm their play-off place, even if St Helens' form collapse has eased the pressure.

Regardless of where they finish inside the top six, it is game on as far as Peters is concerned.

"I think the top two is going to be fought out between the three teams at the top and there are four teams going for the rest of the spots," he said.

"Ideally, you want to get a home semi-final and, first and foremost, the weekend off. That's the ultimate but that's sort of out of our reach now.

"Once you get to the finals, it's a new competition. Whether it's the top four or the last couple of spots, we'd still be in a position to chase this premiership.

"It's been a challenging year but the challenging part is about to start. It's a block we see as an opportunity."