The YP's rugby league writer James O'Brien looks ahead to the Super League encounter between St Helens v Hull Kingston Rovers
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00:00How do you see Saints vs Hull K.R. going?
00:17It's an interesting one. Like you mentioned, they've both won all three games, they've
00:21played the same opponents so far, Kass, Wakey, Salford, and you say that the strength of
00:29their opponents hasn't been top tier, they haven't played Wigan, Warrington, those kinds
00:35of teams. So it's a great chance for both sides to see where they're at and a true gauge
00:40of the progress so far. St Helens saw them at Wakefield last week, they looked strong,
00:47they obviously had a tough season last season but still made the playoffs, they've made
00:50the playoffs every year. So a tough season for St Helens, they're finishing fifth or
00:54sixth, which most clubs would take. Hull K.R. have got injuries, they're without Rhys Martin,
01:00someone at the start of the season I thought was probably the signing of the off-season,
01:04I cursed him, he's out for four months now. But Hull K.R. can just revert to what worked
01:10for them last season, they'll probably start with Dean Hadley in the second row and then
01:14move Tanganoa there and move Hadley inside. So they've got a formula that does work, the
01:19goal-kicking is an issue, especially in the tight game, which this could be on Friday.
01:23Danny Richardson played very well as a stand-in last week, he's a very capable kicker. Hopefully
01:29they'll have Tyrone Mayne and Michael Lewis back, but then that just poses the question
01:35of who's going to take the T. Lewis did all right last season but he isn't Rhys Martin,
01:40so that is a problem area for Hull K.R. They've got a pack to stand up to St Helens, so that's
01:47where it'll be won and that's what Willie Peters said himself earlier in the week.
01:51Really interesting match-up, it will be tight. It'll just come down to who wins that forward
01:58battle and then how they stop Jack Welsby, because he's really started well for St Helens.