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Sheens ready for tough Super League test

Hull KR rugby league coach Tim Sheens says his players must be ready for their toughest test of the season against Widnes in the Super 8s round-five qualifiers.

Tim Sheens
Hull KR coach Tim Sheens says his players face a tough Widnes test in their Super 8 qualifier. (AAP)

Hull KR coach Tim Sheens is urging his players to prepare for their toughest test of the season when they host Widnes in Saturday's fifth round of the Super 8s qualifiers.

Rovers have won all four games so far and victory over the Vikings would take them closer to automatic promotion back into Super League, especially if fourth-placed Leigh lose at Warrington, the other team with a 100 per cent record.

The leading three clubs will be in the top flight in 2018, while the fourth and fifth-placed teams will fight it out for the other spot via the dreaded Million-Pound Game, which Rovers lost in 2016 to Salford.

The Warrington game kicks off 15 minutes earlier but former Australian coach Sheens insists he will not be listening out for the result and he does not want his players thinking about it either.

"Winning this game doesn't necessarily mean that we'll be promoted. Losing it doesn't necessarily mean that we won't be," Sheens said.

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"I won't be interested in the Warrington versus Leigh game even with 15 minutes to go. Who knows where we are going to be at that point in our match? And it's just going to be about us winning."

Widnes, bottom of the Super League table after the regular season, have boosted their survival hopes with three wins. But in Sunday's victory over Leigh, they lost fullback Rhys Hanbury and halfback Danny Craven to year-ending injuries.

"I think this will be the toughest game we've had so far this year," Sheens added.

"I think they've been the best-performing side in this competition if you look at their form over the last few weeks.

"They're battle-hardened and, whilst we are also, it's not to that level. It's a real challenge for our players to raise themselves to the level that we reached against Leigh this year."

In Saturday's other qualifier, Catalans Dragons take on part-timers Featherstone in Perpignan, where captain Remi Casty will make the 300th appearance of his career. Salford host Huddersfield.


2 min read

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Source: AAP



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