HULL KR coach Craig Sandercock has prepared his side to face a backlash from Wakefield as both sides hunt a first win of the new season.
While Rovers were beaten 32-24 by Catalan at MS3 Craven Park, Wakefield were embarrassed as they lost 40-6 at Bradford.
And for that reason Sandercock knows the Wildcats will be out to put on a good show in their first home game of the season tonight.
"Of course I am expecting a backlash from Wakefield," Sandercock told the Mail.
"They will still be upset at losing to Bradford.
"They had a full strength squad and they will be fired up.
"We need to improve our performance, there's no doubt about it.
"But we'll be doing our best to do that and we need to play to our strengths."
Having slipped to a disappointing defeat at home last week, Sandercock knows KR cannot afford a second successive one.
Only six teams to have contested the play-offs since they were introduced in 1998 did so after losing their first two games.
And Sandercock doesn't want to go into his side's third game – at home to Widnes – still looking for their first win of 2013.
"Nobody wants to lose two from two," said the Aussie coach.
"Every game is a big game and we want to do our best, compete and see where that takes us.
"Hopefully, we can win some tight games and in five or six weeks' time we will have our full strength side available and see what happens."
Reflecting on last week's defeat, Sandercock felt his new boys were guilty of trying too hard in front of their own fans and is confident his troops will turn in a better display.
"The occasion may have got to them a little bit, and you don't need to be a rocket scientist to work out who the new ones were," he added.
"But that is over with now and we are moving on with our game at Wakefield."
