Hull KR: Willie Peters ‘really proud’ of Robins as he hails debutant’s dazzling display
Hull KR coach Willie Peters was full of praise for debutant Tanguy Zenon for producing a classy display to help the Robins reach the Challenge Cup semi-finals.
France international full-back Zenon only arrived at Craven Park earlier this week on a two-week loan deal from fellow Super League side Catalans Dragons.
But the 21-year-old was impressive on debut, scoring a try in Hull KR’s 28-10 win over Salford on Saturday afternoon.
Speaking to Viaplay Sports after the game, Peters said: “I’m really happy with Tanguy, we just wanted to simplify his roles.
“Obviously he came in during the week but what I was most proud about was the players that put their arm around him during the week, taking him for coffee, driving him to training and just making him feel welcome like he’s one of us.
“He’s a Catalans player but he’s one of us for the next couple of weeks and I’m really proud of the players.”
The Robins brought in Zenon on loan to cover the absence of their regular full-backs Lachlan Coote and Jack Walker, who were ruled out of the quarter-final tie because of concussion.
When asked if they would look at extending Zenon’s loan beyond the two-week period, Peters replied: “We’ll see how we go.
“We’ve got two weeks, Catalans have been great with us so we’ll see how it goes after that.”
🗣️ "Today was a KO performance and it'll give the players a lot of belief."@hullkrofficial head coach Willie Peters in conversation after helping his team reach the Betfred Challenge Cup Semi-Final 👏 pic.twitter.com/iku7godn0v
— Viaplay Sports UK (@ViaplaySportsUK) June 17, 2023
Willie Peters ‘really proud’ of Hull KR players in Challenge Cup win
The Robins were 18-0 to the good at the break thanks to first half tries from Ryan Hall, Zenon and Kane Linnett.
Tim Lafai pulled one back for Salford in the second half but it was Hull KR’s day as they posted further tries through Shaun Kenny-Dowall and Dean Hadley to wrap up the 28-10 win.
Peters added: “It’s relief for the players. We’ve been through a tough few weeks so it is really good for their belief knowing we can put that performance in again because that’s been us all year.
“We’ve obviously had some adversity but going through this period will make us down the track.
“You are always worried against Salford because you can never relax because they throw so much at you. They scored early (in the second half) so I thought it was game on here but I thought the way we defended for each other was a credit to the players and I’m really proud.”
Hull KR will discover their semi-final opponents when the draw is made on Sunday afternoon.
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