'We're not getting carried away': Willie Peters keeps Hull KR grounded after St Helens win

The Robins boast the competition’s only 100 per cent record after ending Saints’ own perfect start with a hard-fought but deserved 20-10 success at the Totally Wicked Stadium on Friday.

It is the club’s best start to a top-flight campaign since the 1985-86 season and continues an excellent response to last season’s agonising Grand Final defeat.

Rovers coach Peters said: “It is a good start. We’re not getting carried away, there’s no doubt about that – it’s round four.

“But I think it’s important to celebrate little wins along the way. I think it is our best start in 40 years, so the players need to get some credit for that, especially after a performance like they just did.

“I would have liked to see more points on the scoreboard, given I thought we dominated the first half, but we’d put a bit of fatigue into them and we said at half-time, if we did that again we should get the rewards.”

Two tries from Oliver Gildart early in the second period proved decisive as Rovers built up a comfortable cushion after Tom Davies had edged them ahead before the break.

Mikey Lewis had opened the scoring for Rovers but Saints hit back – against the run of play – through Curtis Sironen. Jack Welsby gave the hosts late hope but Rovers proved too strong defensively.

Peters said: “We can always get better but coming here is always difficult. We knew what we were going to get.

“I’m really happy with the overall performance.”

Saints coach Paul Wellens had no complaints about the result and felt the game would prove a good yardstick for his players.

Wellens said: “It was the type of game that we needed to give us an indication of where we’re at.

“Where we’re at is, I feel, not far off but not quite where we need to be.

“It’s obviously disappointing that we’ve lost a match at home but we can identify some areas of our game where we’re going to need to improve, particularly in big games against the better sides in the competition.

“I can’t fault the team in terms of application and effort, I thought they were outstanding, but too many times over the course of the 80 minutes we let our own tyres down.”