Hull KR's trip to Toulouse has the makings of a banana skin Rovers must avoid

Let's cut to the chase - Monday's clash with Toulouse Olympique is a difficult game where the odds are stacked against Hull KR. Rovers will enter the game as strong favourites but there are a number of factors that make the trip a much more difficult game than some will give credit for.

Firstly, the obvious. Rovers travel to France on the morning of the game, will have a quick bite to eat and then play. This is not ideal preparation but a set of circumstances they have been presented. Of course, it isn't a long flight, less than two hours, and the plane is chartered from Hull. Nevertheless, this is not a usual away day.

But it's the other factors that make this a trip that is harder than it appears on first glance. Rovers have had a day less to recover than Toulouse, who played on Thursday night whereas Rovers played Friday lunchtime. Hearing coaches discuss and bemoan short turnarounds can be tedious but it's because the science highlights the importance of recovery. Giving up a day of preparation is hard enough, even more so when it's over the Easter period.

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Then there's the threat of a hangover from the derby. Rovers fans know all too well the emotional investment that goes into a game with the local neighbours. The Robins have to overcome the mental fatigue, as well as the physical, and post-derby hangovers have been known to happen.

Throw in the loss of Lachlan Coote, who brings so much to the side, as well as one of the team's most consistent performers in Frankie Halton, you'd have to argue Rovers are weaker than they were three days previous.

Take nothing away from Toulouse either. They have improved as the