Toughest possible start for them IMO.

Wakey Away second game according to their twitter - on Saturday so will be on Sky.

We're not playing any SL sides. We're playing middle 8 sides.

And that's as close to optimism as I'm going to allow myself to get.

[uRound 1[/u

Bulls v Sheffield
Salford v Wakefield
Leigh v HKR
Halifax v Widnes

[uRound 2[/u

Wakefield v Bulls
Widnes v Leigh
HKR v Halifax
Sheffield v Salford?

I'm guessing that last round 2 fixture by process of elimination.

Is it only me that would have preferred Hull KR after their semi-final cup game?? Leigh have a great chance to take that one!

If Rovers get beaten by Warrington then they may take it out on Leigh. If Rovers beat Warrington, their minds might be elsewhere. I'd personally like Rovers to beat Wire and then for us to play them the week before the final, but we'll find out tomorrow.

Must admit I thought that too. That said as opening fixtures go I'd rather take ours as a pair than Leigh's for us. Could work for them though but might have knocked us for six

If the semi had been after the Leigh game it would have been a bonus for Leigh but after I can't see it much of a factor Hull KR know what's at stake.

Possibly but on the other side of the coin, if we get them last game Of the season, they may already be safe and don' have as much to play for.

Apparently that honour will go to us.

I don't think it can be dismissed that easily - a week after Hull KR's biggest and toughest game of the season that will have been taking up a lot of their mental capacity of late facing a team having had a week off. That's before factoring in the fact KR might win the semi and possibly put in an "after the lord mayor's show" performance. It, of course, might have no bearing - but I don't see how it can be dismissed out of hand.

Irrelevant now from our POV, but I'll bet that behind the scenes at Rovers they'll be annoyed they've been given Leigh first up given the timing of the semi. Of course no easy games at this time of year.

I appreciate the age old problem of getting a side up for a league game around the date of an 'important' cup fixture, but let's not forget these are not [iordinary[/i league games -for SL clubs their lives in the higher division are on the line, and [ithat[/i is the reality.

To be honest, I can't imagine any 'best' time to play HKR. Depending on who they have available, they are a fine side and home, away or near a cup semi-final, they'll be a very difficult team to beat.