Match preview: Hull KR

[Warriors News]

Everything you need to know for Thursday’s Betfred Super League tie with Hull Kingston Rovers.

The Brief

Wigan Warriors face Hull KR on Thursday night in Round 11 of the Betfred Super League (6pm kick off). 

Adrian Lam’s side will travel to Emerald Headingley Stadium for the Betfred Super League clash, which will see 1st take on 11th.

Wigan have already featured at Emerald Headingley Stadium since the restart, beating Wakefield 22-23 on 9th August.

Wigan head into the game top of the table with seven wins so far, including the opening three of the restart against Wakefield Trinity, Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers.

It’s been a different story so far for Tony Smith’s Robins who sit bottom of the league stands with one win from their eight games.

Since the restart, Rovers have lost both games to Warrington Wolves and St Helens.

Team News

Lam has made five changes to the 21 that faced Castleford, with Liam Marshall, George Burgess, Morgan Smithies, Joe Bullock and Ethan Havard missing out. 

Oliver Gildart returns for selection for the first time in 2020 after being side-lined with a shoulder injury since Autumn 2019. 

WATCH | “I feel like it’s my debut again. Hopefully I can get out tomorrow and add my little bit to the team.”

@OliverGildart3 spoke to Wigan TV this morning ahead of a potential return after 11 months out with injury.

In full https://t.co/nEuSjg2PzU #WWRL #SLHKRWig pic.twitter.com/8j9nA7P4Ed

— Wigan Warriors (@WiganWarriorsRL) September 2, 2020

Oliver Partington returns from a four-match suspension which has seen the 21-year-old miss the first three Betfred Super League games since its resumption. 

Partington in training.

Forwards Mitch Clark and Jack Wells return alongside winger Joe Burgess, who was called up late into the match day squad last week.

Forward Smithies is unavailable after receiving a four-match suspension after pleading guilty to a Grade D charge of Dangerous Contact with Castleford Tigers’ James Clare during last Saturday’s fixture. 

Smithies had already been issued with a two-match penalty notice by the RFL’s Match Review Panel in respect of a separate incident in the same game, so will now miss the next six matches. 

Injury news

Two new causes of concern for Head Coach Lam this week are the injuries to Liam Marshall and George Burgess, who left the field with knee and hip issues respectively against Castleford.

Lam confirmed that Club Captain Sean O’Loughlin would not be available this week to face Hull KR, but will likely return from his hamstring injury to face Catalans Dragons next week.

There was similar news for Jake Shorrocks, who has also been struggling with a hamstring injury.

There was less positive news for Tony Clubb, who is expected to be sidelined for up to three months as he recovers from a neck injury.

Here is Wigan’s 21-man squad:

The Opposition

Click on the link in the tweet below to see Hull KR’s 21-man squad:

Smith announces his 21-man squad for Thursday's clash with the Warriors!

Litten, Keyes, Lewis and Livett all introduced for the first time since lockdown. https://t.co/rvSzKLHqlq

— Hull Kingston Rovers (@hullkrofficial) September 1, 2020

Did You Know?

The Warriors will play in their black away strip for the first time in 2020 on Thursday night. So far this season, Wigan have played eight games in Cherry and White and two in the yellow alternative shirt – dedicated to the North West Air Ambulance service. Click HERE to shop the Warriors look!

Zak Hardaker and Bevan French.

Previous Meetings

Wigan have won eight of the last ten meetings between the two sides and have won their last four games against the Robins.

Second-row Liam Farrell has scored tries in the Warriors’ last three meetings with Hull KR (2-2-1).

Farrell in action against Hull KR earlier this year.

Last ten meetings:

• Wigan 30, Hull KR 16 (SLR6, 8/3/20)
• Wigan 36, Hull KR 18 (SLR25, 9/8/19)
• Wigan 52, Hull KR 10 (SLR21, 5/7/19)
• Hull KR 18, Wigan 19 (SLR17, 9/6/19)
• Hull KR 24, Wigan 8 (SLR16, 25/5/18)
• Hull KR 10, Wigan 28 (CCR6, 13/5/18)
• Wigan 44, Hull KR 6 (SLR9, 2/4/18)
• Hull KR 18, Wigan 20 (SLR18, 10/6/16)
• Wigan 30, Hull KR 16 (SLR8, 28/3/16)
• Wigan 12, Hull KR 16 (CCR6, 15/5/15 at Leigh Sports Village)

Super League summary

• Hull KR won 6 
• Wigan won 22 (includes wins in 2009 and 2010 play-offs)
• 1 draw
• Hull KR highest score: 39-22 (H, 2008) (also widest margin)
• Wigan highest score: 84-6 (A, 2013) (also widest margin)

Head to Head

Here are a few statistics between the two teams from the season so far:

Coach Quotes

Ahead of the game, Lam said: “There’s not too much pressure on them (Hull KR) to win or lose but I think they are a happy bunch who have a crack on the field together. 

“We will need to rotate the squad with so many games coming up, so I feel that we need to start doing that now.

“When the amount of games heat up, I know some clubs will be heavily affected by it. If we manage this process right we will have an advantage.”

Match Officials

The man in the middle on Sunday will be Tom Grant. The video referee is Chris Kendall.

Tom Grant.

How to Follow

Making its return for the first time since the resumption of the Betfred Super League, our Listen Live feature will be available from the home page on www.wiganwarriors.com.

The live commentary function will give fans free match commentary from Joe Mulls and Andrew Rimmer (Bilko) of the full Round 11 fixture. Learn more by clicking HERE.

Andrew Rimmer (left) and Joe Mills (right).

Warriors season ticket holders can watch the game live via the RFL’s OurLeague streaming service. In addition, the game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.

Furthermore, Wigan fans can follow every piece of the action via our social media channels and website.

• Twitter (@WiganWarriorsRL) – live game updates and reaction at the final hooter.
• Instagram (@wiganwarriorsrl) – live behind-the-scenes action, both before and after kick-off.
• Facebook (Wigan Warriors) – live matchday information.
• Website (www.wiganwarriors.com) – post-match reaction including match report, and Head Coach and players reaction.

Wigan TV

Matches will continue to be available – as usual – on Wigan TV, with highlights, extended highlights and full match replays available after the relevant holdback times. There will also be post-match interviews available to watch.

If you’re not already a subscriber to Wigan TV, click HERE today to join. Choose a monthly (£5.99), quarterly (£11.99) or annual (£38.99) subscription with no contract. Pay with PayPal or credit/debit card.

Other Fixtures

Thursday 3rd September

• Hull KR vs Wigan Warriors (6pm)
• Salford Red Devils vs Castleford Tigers (8:15pm)

Friday 4th September

• Huddersfield Giants vs St Helens (6pm)
• Warrington Wolves vs Hull FC (8:15pm)

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