Domestic kings Hull KR out to conquer the world

Domestic kings Hull KR out to conquer the worldImage source, SWPIXImage caption, Hull KR enjoyed the fruits of their labour in 2025, winning everything there was to play forByMatt NewsumBBC Sport Rugby League journalistPublished36 minutes agoThe sensation of winning is an addictive one.Whether it’s the fizz of champagne bubbling on the tongue, the feeling of completion mixed intoxicatingly with the ecstasy of achievement, or even the monetary rewards, those who have enjoyed success crave it greedily.Hull KR captain Elliot Minchella is no exception.In 2025, Minchella got his hands on all the prizes; the first Robin since the great Roger Millward to lift a Challenge Cup, the first since David Watkinson to raise the prize for securing the top-flight championship.Winning Super League for the first time gives Rovers a crack at a trophy no Robin has ever won – the World Club Challenge.Thursday’s showpiece against Australia’s National Rugby League premiers Brisbane Broncos will give Minchella and his team-mates the chance to box off their 2025 successes and earn the mantle of best club team in the world.”St Helens, Leeds, Wigan and Bradford, to name just four, all won World Club Challenges and we want to remembered for winning this game,” Minchella told BBC Sport.”No-one remembers a team that didn’t come out on the winning side. You remember the ones that won for years to come.”That’s my thought process – I want to be part of a team that wins. I experienced that last year and this is the first opportunity for 2026.”Winning silverware felt great last year, so I want another piece of it.”Pride in East Hull, pride in Super LeagueAlthough there might be some in the west of the rugby league-mad city of Hull who swap their irregular black and white hoops for maroon, white and gold on Thursday night, the World Club Challenge tends to unite many fans behind the Super League representing the northern hemisphere game.Being standard bearers for the competition and the community is not lost on Minchella, who watched the likes of Bradford and St Helens strike a blow to the all-conquering NRL in the inter-hemisphere match-ups as a boy.Media caption, Hull KR beat Wigan to win first Super League title”It’s unique to play against a team not in your competition, teams you’re not used to if you like,” he added.”In Super League you get to know your opposition when you play against them two or three times a season, so this is a completely unique situation.”It’s the same for both teams; you do your homework on the opposition.”These are games I watched as a kid, the World Club Challenges from yesteryear. You dream then of being involved in one someday, and here we are, getting the chance to play in one on Thursday.”It’s a massive privilege to be involved in this game, not just to represent the city of Hull but also Super League and going up against the NRL’s best.”Rovers need to channel York energyHaving dominated the competition in 2025, Hull KR’s start to life as champions can hardly be described as ideal preparation for the ominous meeting with NRL champions Brisbane.The Robins let slip an 18-6 lead against newly-promoted York in their season opener to lose 19-18 and started the Super League campaign in defeat.For head coach Willie Peters, it is a case of finding improvement and learnings, and a little inspiration, as they head into Thursday’s crunch encounter with the Broncos.”The way York handled the game, coming up against a team who had just won the treble, they showed no fear,” he told BBC Radio Humberside.”It didn’t matter who was in front of them, they just went after them.”We need to be the same this week against Brisbane. The Broncos are a formidable side, the best in the NRL, so it will be good to take some of York’s mindset against us into the game.”Hull KR v Brisbane BroncosWorld Club ChallengeThursday, 19 February (19:30 GMT)Watch on iPlayerListen on Sounds