Departing Hull KR coach Tony Smith insists players are still playing for him

Hull KR coach Tony Smith says his side aren’t being affected by the fact he will leave the club at the end of the season despite a 32-0 loss at Castleford.

The Robins have won just one of the last four games since Smith made his surprise announcement last month.

Hull KR lost 32-0 at Castleford on Sunday – but Smith insists his side are still playing for him despite a poor run of defeats.

Speaking after the loss at Castleford, Smith said: “We’re low on confidence at the moment and probably going about things in the wrong way in terms of forcing things too much early doors.

“We’re talking about it but not executing it. The last two or three games we just haven‘t been building it.

“We’ve been looking for quick fixes instead of going through the processes that are necessary. You get a bit anxious and people want to try harder, in the wrong way sometimes.”

Smith continued: “They tell me they‘re playing for me, and I trust them.

“Otherwise it would be excuse-making and we’re not into excuse-making.

“We had a big Easter, we worked really hard, we lost a few people since then. It’s been disruptive.

“Then you go into a couple of games where you really put your heart into it and you want to do well and you fall short. That flattens you a bit and we’re flattened at the moment.

“I don’t think it’s down to my announcement, I think it’s down to some of the last couple of games and performances. We care. I care, we all care about it.

“I can understand the fans’ frustration, we’re frustrated too and we’re sorry that we’re not delivering better performances.

“There’s no doubt about that. We’re not shying away from that, but I don’t think it’s down to any announcements. They’re good boys.

“I think they’d tell me if it was a case of I