Huddersfield Giants vs Hull KR Prediction: Giants heading for back-to-back batterings by champs

Holders Hull KR will look to take another step towards defending the Betfred Challenge Cup when they travel to take on Huddersfield Giants this Saturday for the second week running (15:00 GMT, live on The Sportsman Rugby League).

Willie Peters' side have endured a tough start to 2026 either side of an epic World Club Challenge win, but had too much for the Giants in last week's Super League clash with a 32-6 win at the Accu Stadium. Full team news and Betfred's match odds follow below with my Huddersfield Giants vs Hull KR predictions.

Team News

The last thing you need when losing 32-6 to the best team in the competition is to play them again the following week, but Huddersfield have at least had a sneak preview of what to expect in this cup tie.

Rovers ran in six tries to one last week to ease home at a canter, and few would expect a different outcome with a place in the Betfred Challenge Cup quarter-finals the target this weekend.

The Giants are doing it tough injury-wise at the moment, but are not alone in that respect. There have been more injuries across the board at this stage in the season than I can remember in my near-30 years covering the sport.

Huddersfield have not won yet this season and although boss Luke Robinson won't use that as an excuse, it is a pretty good one. And the Giants picked up four fresh problems in last weekend's loss and now have basically a full team in the medical room.

Star youngster George Flanagan picked up an issue last weekend while scoring a try, occupying a full-back position that has already seen Niall Evalds and Logan Blacker injured. Both wingers are sidelined in Adam Swift and Sam Halsall, as are half-backs Oliver Russell and Kieran Rush who picked up knocks last week. Starting half-back Adam Clune was already missing. Forward Matty English also went off against Rovers, meaning the pack looks light too in the absence of Sam Hewitt, Joe Greenwood and Harry Rushton.

Huddersfield do have a potential debut for Connor Wrench - the former Warrington man retired from the sport but has been tempted back by the Giants, while Zac Woolford will play if he is cleared from the concussion that ruled him out last Sunday. A start for Wrench could see Jacob Gagai move to full-back in the absence of Flanagan.

Hull KR are without Karl Lawton, who is suspended for three matches after the tackle that has sidelined English, and have two full-backs missing with Arthur Mourgue out long-term and youngster Declan Murphy with a knee injury. Peters says that youngster Bill Leyland will step up to take the place of Lawton.

Other than Lawton, Mourgue and Murphy it is a pretty much full-strength Rovers side, although Peters is likely to make changes this week after hinting he will "freshen up" the squad.

Huddersfield Giants vs Hull KR Odds

The Giants are a massive 12/1 to reverse their fortunes of six days ago to book a place in the last eight. Rovers are an incredible 1/50 for the win, with 33/1 available about the draw.

The handicap field finds Rovers giving up a 33.5-point start in the regular two-way bracket. They're 5/6 in that setting, with Huddersfield 20/21 with the significant boost.

Handicap 3-way Alternative 2 Hull KR -30 @ 4/6

A 34-point start for Huddersfield feels hefty but you feel that if Peters goes for a full-strength Rovers team then they will beat the handicap.

With the World Club Challenge and Las Vegas games now out of the way, I fully expect to see a huge improvement in the champions and they will rocket up Super League. The cup draw has been kind too, and this should be a comfortable passage into the last eight.

The one thing that stops me backing an ugly scoreline in this one is the likely changes the Robins will make to the side, and for that reason I am going to dip just the other side of the handicap for my prediction.

Huddersfield are no mugs, but they are a team very low on confidence who are barely able to get a side out. There should be at least half-a-dozen tries for the visitors for the second week running.