York Knights head coach Mark Applegarth says there is not “an ounce of pressure” on his side in Saturday’s Challenge Cup quarter-final at holders Hull KR.
The Knights head to final season’s treble winners on Saturday (13:30 BST) in a sport that will probably be reside on BBC Two.
Willie Peters’ males have had a blended begin in Super League, together with falling to a shock defeat at York on the opening night of the season, and Applegarth says the Robins are having to deal with the burden of their successes.
“You look at what they’ve had to deal with, with the travel to Las Vegas and peaking for a World Club Challenge and all the stuff that comes with that. They’ve had a lot to deal with,” he stated.
“They’ve also had to deal with the expectation shift on them, winning all the trophies does that.
“I do not assume there’s an oz of pressure on us on Saturday, it is all on them. So we will go in simply specializing in ourselves whereas they have all that on them.”
The Knights started their debut season in Super League with a famous 19-18 win over the reigning champions, the week before KR beat Brisbane Broncos to win the World Club Challenge.
York have won just one of their six Super League games since that dream start and were beaten 34-14 at Huddersfield last week.
Applegarth said his first priority was to correct the issues from the defeat at the Giants.
“We weren’t proud of what we served up final week and we need to rectify that in the beginning so we will look one another within the eye figuring out we have given it every thing we have,” he told BBC Radio York.
“It’s cup rugby, it is whoever nails that 80 minutes. We’ll be stepping into with every thing we have.
“We’re not idiots, we know that Hull KR will want to avenge that round one defeat and they have their own aspirations.”
