Preview: Hull KR vs Leigh Leopards - Prediction, team news and lineups

Fresh from a dominant victory over York Knights, Hull KR will be looking to continue building momentum as they prepare to take on Super League playoff rivals Leigh Leopards at Craven Park this Friday night.

There are only two points separating third-placed Robins and seventh-placed Leopards, meaning every win is crucial in this thrilling race for the top six.

Match preview

Hull KR endured a bruising couple of weeks as they followed up their 40-10 Challenge Cup final defeat at Wembley with a 26-24 loss away at Wakefield Trinity.

Conceding 66 points across two matches is not something the Robins have experienced often under Willie Peters, though his men were able to bounce back strong against York last week.

Hull KR went behind in the opening five minutes but ended up scoring seven unanswered tries against the Knights to secure a confidence-building 38-6 victory.

Peters and his men will now turn their attention to Leigh, which is a side that they have beaten in seven of their past eight encounters.

That run of head-to-head victories includes a 20-16 success last May - a result that the Robins will be looking to replicate as they attempt to keep pace with their playoff rivals. 

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With six wins from seven games, Leigh Leopards are making a serious push for playoff rugby - a push they will be looking to continue this Friday.

Leigh extended their winning run away at Bradford Bulls last week, dominating both halves at Odsal Stadium before banking an impressive 38-12 success.

The only blemish during Leigh’s seven-match run came last month against Hull KR, though the Leopards had a lot of positives to take from that game - especially their second-half performance, which saw them keep a clean sheet.

Adrian Lam’s side have steadily closed the gap to their top six rivals, and with the likes of Wakefield Trinity and St Helens slipping up recently, there might be an opportunity for Leigh to finally break into the top six.

One problem that the Leopards will need to take into consideration is their attacking output, with the side scoring fewer points this season than all the six teams above them in the standings.

Friday’s opponents, for instance, have scored a whopping 138 points more than Lam’s men this term - something that the visitors will be wary of when they visit Craven Park. 

Hull KR Super League form:

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Hull KR form (all competitions):

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Leigh Leopards Super League form:

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Team News

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Jez Litten was classed as an injury concern by Hull KR boss Peters, yet the England international has been named in Friday’s squad.

Sauaso Sue is thrown straight back into the squad as he returns from his suspension, while Oliver Gildart misses out due to the head injury protocol.

When it comes to the Leopards, Josh Charnley and Lachlan Lam have both been included despite picking up knocks against Bradford last week.

In less positive news, Jack Hughes will be on the sidelines due to a suspension, leaving Lam with just a 20-man squad this Friday. 

Hull KR 21-man squad:

Davies, Hiku, Burgess, Lewis, May, Sue, Litten, Amone, Hadley, Batchelor, Minchella, Broadbent, Luckley, Whitbread, Martin, Lawton, Dezaria, Booth, Leyland, Hampshire, Pangai Jr.

Leigh Leopards 20-man squad:

Armstrong, Niu, Hanley, Charnley, Cook, Lam, Ofahengaue, Ipape, Mulhern, Halton, Liu, Pene, Alick-Wiencke, Davis, Horne, Hodgson, Senior, O’Brien, Brogan, Brown

We say: Hull KR 20-18 Leigh Leopards

We are still waiting to see whether Hull KR have officially overcome their recent slump, and Friday’s game will likely provide the answer.

Leigh have been terrific in recent weeks, but we cannot ignore their dreadful head-to-head record against the Robins. With that in mind, we are siding with the hosts, but only by two points.