Hull KR and Wakefield Trinity first impressions as injury strikes and new star stands out
Tyson Smoothy in action on his unofficial Wakefield Trinity debut.
A strong Wakefield Trinity side proved to be far too good for an under-strength Hull KR side at Craven Park on Sunday afternoon – but there were talking points for both teams.
Trinity were 34-6 winners against the Super League champions and excellent value for it, too.
Here is everything we learned from the game..
Injury concern for Wakefield
It was a very successful day for Daryl Powell’s side in terms of a pre-season hit-out – with one exception.
Shortly after scoring the opening try of the afternoon, forward Caius Faatili limped off after a collision and didn’t return for the remainder of the afternoon. That will be a nervous wait for Wakefield fans, as Faatili was one of their stars of 2025 without question.
Powell will likely provide a more detailed update in the coming days – and Trinity supporters will hope it isn’t quite as bad as it first looked.
New duo stand out
Some of Trinity’s new signings certainly looked like they have settled in well, with two in particular really catching the eye.
One was Tyson Smoothy, who has all the early hallmarks of being a brilliant signing for Wakefield. A Grand Final winner in the NRL last year, Smoothy looks like a player who will thrive with the newer quicker ruck speeds we are expected to see in Super League in 2026.
He was imploring the officials to allow the ruck to be faster here and whenever it was allowed, he laid a great platform for Trinity’s other standout to take centre stage.
With no Mason Lino here, Jake Trueman was partnered by Jack Sinfield in the halves, and the former Leeds man put in a very impressive showing. Plenty of control, plenty of composure and an all-round encouraging showing that suggests Powell may have a tricky decision on his hands for the season opener.
Rovers reserves look rusty
Which is perfectly reasonable and acceptable in pre-season, by the way. The big hitters and the big stars will return and the defending champions will be a much more fearsome prospect – you’d be surprised if they lost many, if any, games by this margin in 2026.
The one standout was perhaps Jack Broadbent, who did really well and underlined to Willie Peters once again why he’ll have a role to play somewhere in the 17 this year.
Youngster Frankie Dearlove also had his moments that caught the eye, too – while Bill Leyland will push for a spot in the team on a regular basis next year.
The big work is still ahead for Rovers, and there’s simply no need to read too much into this.
