Watson out to take Sheen off KR’s cup bid
WELLER Hauraki is in line to make his first appearance of the season when Salford take on Tim Sheens’ Hull KR in the Challenge Cup tonight.
Seven months on from the dramatic finish of the Million Pound Game, which condemned the Robins to relegation from the Super League at the expense of the Red Devils, the two sides meet again, this time at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Sheens stepped down from his role as director of rugby at Salford prior to the decisive relegation play-off as he had already agreed to take over as coach of KR.
That ended an 18-month working relationship between the former Australian national side boss and current Salford boss Ian Watson, who has appeared to flourish in the absence of his former mentor, with the Red Devils sitting third in the Super League table.
While Sheens will clearly have a wealth of inside knowledge relating to his former employers, there is a sense this is a very different Salford side this season - though Watson is well aware his team will have to be at their best to overcome KR, who have lost only once this season, away at Toulouse Olympique on Easter Monday.
“Tim is really smart,” said Watson. “He has observed us for over 12 months and knows what we can do in terms of our standards and performance, but we also know a lot about him, so it will be an interesting game.
“They’ll be coming here to make a statement – that they are a Super League team, not a Championship side.”
Hauraki picked up an injury in the pre-season friendly against Hull FC and has been unable to feature so far this year, but comes back into the team alongside Lee Mossop and Junior Sa’u, who have also been sidelined recently.
Gareth O’Brien made his return as a substitute in last week’s win over Wigan Warriors and will compete with Niall Evalds for the fullback spot.
Evalds has impressed when deputising in the number one position, but may switch to the wing to accommodate O’Brien, with Justin Carney banned.
Both Salford and KR received suspended fines as a result of fan troubles following the Million Pound Game and Robins’ chief executive Neil Hudgell has urged supporters of both sides to avoid a repeat.
He said: “We do not wish to put ourselves in a position where our ambitions could be compromised in any way and we are relying on the vast majority of our supporters to lead by example and report any concerns that may arise at the earliest opportunity.”