Key issues Hull KR must address ahead of Castleford trip

Hull KR travel down the M62 on Sunday for the third week in a row, as round 12 see's a familiar opposition awaiting the Robins.

Tony Smith's men look to put the last two weeks behind them as the Rovers take on Lee Radford's Castleford Tigers at the Mend-A-Hose Jungle on Sunday afternoon, a side KR have beaten twice already this season.

We take a look at where the battle could be won and lost for the Robins this weekend.

During the defeats to Leeds and Huddersfield, the Rovers players have lost each of their individual battles and started at a languid pace, resulting in two torrid team performances. Castleford tend to try and dominate the game down the middle from the first whistle, and the likes of George King, Matt Parcell, Matty Storton and Jez Litten must slow down the prominent men of the Tigers and build a platform after winning the all-important ruck battle.

Rovers completed at under 50% in the first half during last week's semi-final defeat, and at this level, stats like that are unforgivable. However, if Tony Smith and his side want to compete at the top end of the table and push for a play-off spot come the end of the year, they must ensure their execution in attack rapidly improves. Otherwise, it could be another long afternoon for the Robins this Sunday.

Although the last two weeks have been disappointing for the Reds, not all is doom and gloom. KR are currently sitting in sixth position on the Super League ladder and could go joint-fifth with rivals Hull FC if they leave Castleford with the two points. However, Rovers must ensure they sweep the back-to-back defeats under the carpet and try to emulate their excellent run of form prior to the past fortnight if they want to make the top six two years on the