Huddersfield Giants could be preparing to host Hull KR at just the right time.
While coach Paul Anderson’s men have two weeks to get ready for the visit of the Robins on Sunday, July 5, it will be Rovers’ third game in 10 days.
They kicked-off with their 32-26 home Challenge Cup quarter-final triumph over Catalans Dragons on Thursday night.
That’s then followed by next Tuesday’s re-arranged Super League clash at home to Salford Red Devils, before they head to the John Smith’s Stadium five days later.
Rovers coach Chris Chester acknowledges it’s a punishing time for his players.
But after helping Hull KR reach their first Challenge Cup semi-final since 2006, Chester is philosophical about what’s ahead of him and his team.
“I had a lot of upset people who were left out of the Cup game against Catalans, but in the bigger picture, we’ve got a Super League campaign to focus on,” he said.
“The Challenge Cup is a priority for me – it’s been long time since the club have been in a semi-final – but we’ve got to make sure we back up on Tuesday and take things from there. We don’t want to lose touch with those teams around us.
“Getting into the top eight is also a priority for us, and we know how important it is to keep picking up the wins in Super League as well.
Rovers made a dream start, racing into a 24-0 lead inside 28 minutes thanks to tries from Ken Sio, Kieran Dixon, Albert Kelly and Graeme Horne, but the visitors were transformed after the break with recent signing Krisnan Inu scoring two of their five tries.
And Chester will know that if they don’t improve on that second-half showing, they could miss out on the eight.
