Hull KR coach bemoans Catalans curse with ‘excuses’ rebutted ahead of latest Dragons trip

Hull KR boss Willie Peters insists he accepts no excuses for their dismal record away at Catalans, with a ‘job to do’ to change those fortunes against the Dragons this weekend in the South of France.

The Robins have lost their last seven games in Perpignan, with their last victory away from home against the Dragons coming back in August 2019.

Of those seven defeats on the spin across the channel, three have come under the tutelage of Peters, who took charge of KR ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Losing those three by an aggregate score of 100-22, the Stade Gilbert Brutus is one of just two Super League grounds that Peters is yet to taste victory at: alongside The Brick Community Stadium, Wigan Warriors’ home.

But come Saturday evening, his side will have a chance to put that right.

LRL RECOMMENDS: Sky Sports pundit labels ‘mental’ Super League expansion as plan to ‘ditch’ IMG mooted

‘If I come up with things, they’re just excuses. It shouldn’t matter where you play, you should have a consistent performance’

Speaking to the press earlier this week ahead of KR’s trip to France, head coach Peters accepted that recent performances in Perpignan simply haven’t been good enough.

Addressing the issue, he said: “We haven’t won over there in my time here, so that’s something I want to change.

“They (Catalans) are a difficult team, and I know we had a good win against them last time (at home in Round 14), but they’re a different team now.

“They played well against Warrington, especially at the back end, and they’ll want to impress the coach.

“They’ve gone in a different direction with their coach and he (Joel Tomkins) is doing a great job. A change of coach can spike a team and I think they’ve started to understand new systems now.”

The Robins’ problems in Perpignan have been long-standing, with just four wins in 19 attempts at the Brutus. Prior to 2019, their last success away against Catalans was back in 2011.

Peters continued: “It shouldn’t be any different, but it has been for whatever reason. They’re a tough team to play over there and they’re a tough team in general.

“You can make up reasons, but at the end of the day they’re excuses.

“There’s no particular reason. We just need to go there and do a job this week and change that.

“Last year or the year before, we never won over the other side towards Manchester. First it Wakefield then Manchester and then we couldn’t beat a top-four team.

“There’s always something, this is the next one to tick off, and hopefully we can do that this week.

“If I come up with things, they’re just excuses. It shouldn’t matter where you play, you should have a consistent performance.”

SATURDAY’S READS ON LRL

👉🏻 BBC make latest Super League broadcast pick as St Helens game moved

👉🏻 Jon Wilkin slams ‘dangerous’ Leeds Rhinos star after controversial incident

👉🏻 Super League predictions: Saturday and Sunday’s winners tipped including big upsets

👉🏻 NRL strikes extraordinary deal with NFL as Super League impact explained