Hull KR coach Willie Peters: League Leaders’ Shield ‘reward for our consistency’

Hull KR head coach Willie Peters believes his side’s gruelling battle to win their first League Leaders’ Shield will stand them in good stead in their upcoming play-off campaign.

Rovers edged over the line with a pressure-filled 28-20 win over Warrington in their final game of the regular Betfred Super League season.

Recent defeats to Leeds and Wakefield had left his side’s long-awaited coronation hanging by a thread, with Wigan potentially ready to step in and snatch the title with a big win over Leeds on Friday.

But late tries from Arthur Mourgue and Tyrone May nudged the Robins over the line and Peters is not concerned about their form heading into the knockout rounds in a fortnight’s time.

“We’re certainly not getting carried away with it but to win like that going into a semi-final is not a bad thing because you could win by 40 and what do you learn by that?” said Peters.

“I’m honestly not bothered at all about winning by eight. We needed to win tonight and we were in a position where we could have got beaten with 10 minutes ago.

“But we ended up finding a way to win and that was the main thing we wanted to achieve tonight. I’m comfortable with where we sit at the moment because after 27 rounds we sit on top.”

Rovers recovered from a poor start to hold a 10-point lead at half-time before a trio of tries from the visitors threatened to wreck the hosts’ title-winning party.

But a lung-bursting 80-metre run from Mourgue shattered the mounting tension and May’s late effort effectively sealed Rovers’ victory.

“I’m really pleased for everyone at the club and it’s a reward for our consistency throughout the season,” added Peters.

“There’s been two trophies that have been available and we’ve got two – but obviously there’s one more to go and we want to get that one as well.”

Warrington head coach Sam Burgess felt vindicated by the belief he has maintained in his squad despite an abject ending to a thoroughly forgettable campaign.

The Wolves arrived back in East Yorkshire on a run of seven defeats from their last eight games, including a 34-2 humbling across the city at Hull FC last week.

But despite unravelling on and off the field in recent weeks, Burgess’ side roused themselves against the odds and came agonisingly close to wrecking Rovers’ title celebrations.

“We came here and competed and that’s all we could ask for with a really inexperienced squad,” said Burgess. “I was really proud of them.

“I know what team we have here, I know who we are and for whatever reason we’ve just not been at it for a period.

“But my belief has never wavered, everyone else maybe around us. We know we’ve got a lot of hard work to do but the good thing is you saw tonight that they’re willing.”

Burgess chose his words carefully when asked about the decision to deny young full-back Cai Taylor-Wray a try that would have given his side an early double-figure lead due to an obstruction in the build-up.

“I can’t tell you my honest thoughts about any decisions because you get fined,” added Burgess. “I’m not willing to make any comment on anything to do with any call in a game because people get upset about it and fine you and you can’t say a word, so what’s the point?”