Hull KR v Salford Red Devils: Willie Peters backs Robins to peak for knockout game

The Robins beat Salford on the road to Wembley last year, only to fall short in agonising fashion in a golden-point thriller against Leigh Leopards.

Rovers will begin this season's cup campaign with a home tie after getting back on track in Super League thanks to a convincing win over Huddersfield Giants.

Peters gave short shrift to the suggestion that he might consider giving some of his players a breather against Salford.

"Why would we rest anybody?" said the Australian.

"We fell short last year after making it to the final game and want a taste of it again.

"Before I came over, I always respected the Challenge Cup and what it's all about. Being involved in it and going all the way to the final, we want to be part of that again.

"There's no doubt we're going out this weekend to win. It's a knockout competition and every time we've been under pressure to win games, we've handled that pressure really well."

Rovers saw off Salford in the last eight in 2023 before stunning Wigan Warriors in the semi-finals.

Peters' men recovered from their heartbreaking Wembley defeat to book a play-off place.

"We won the games prior to the Challenge Cup final and then went on a run of six wins at the back end of the season when we possibly weren't going to make the top six," added Peters.

"There was pressure to win those games and we found ourselves in the top four. The players handled it extremely well.

"We're a team that's getting better at that. I'm looking forward to seeing how we handle that again on Friday night against a very good Salford team.

"We've got a game we believe we can win if we meet certain KPIs and targets we want to achieve."

The Robins produced their most complete performance of the opening month in the win at Huddersfield, a timely result after defeats to Salford and Warrington Wolves.

Peters was encouraged by the display as his new-look side set about reaching the next level.

"We completed at 90 per cent," he said.

"We won our first two but I still don't think we built pressure like we did on the weekend.

"We scored five tries against a very good team because we built some pressure by holding the footy. We still asked a lot of questions but it was our defence that set that game up.

"Regardless of whether it's a new team or not, we need to stick to our identity and who we are. The new guys are buying into that."