Danny Ward had mixed emotions following Hull KR's pre-season defeat to York, admitting he was disappointed with aspects of the team's performance. Rovers' first and only pre-season game of 2025 saw them fall to a 26-12 defeat to a strong York Knights side, playing in front a record-breaking Amsterdam attendance.

2,715 watched the game, the highest-spectated rugby league match in Netherlands history, with a Rovers side consisting of many younger players going down to Mark Applegarth's experienced side.

Ward, who took charge of the side as Willie Peters watched on, admitted that the players who featured would benefit from the experience, but wasn't completely satisfied with all elements of the display.

READ MORE: Three Hull KR players giving Willie Peters selection headaches after Amsterdam Challenge

READ MORE: Hull KR verdict as young Robins fall to defeat in historic Amsterdam clash

"We expected a tough test and we certainly got that," he said. "York played really well and were hard to break down. Some lads really stood up and had a good crack. For some of the younger fellas, it was a good challenge for them to play at that level.

"We're a bit disappointed overall with how many points we conceded and the ease of some of the tries. Defending our goal-line, they seemed to score every set they were down there in our 20 for periods. We looked strong and dominant in collision at times, which is what we wanted. We were just a little bit scrappy because we couldn't any consistency going with too many errors in attack. It was disappointing we didn't have more control."

The performance featured a number of good individual performances which will give Peters, Ward and the rest of the coaching staff plenty to consider ahead of the competitive fixtures, which start in a few weeks.

"I thought Brownie and Eribe started the game really well - they were strong," Ward said. "We wanted them to try and win that battle with the opposition pack. We had some good defence, got off our line and put some shots on. It was Bill Leyland's first game in 12 months. We took him off because he played big minutes but he was good.

"Lee Kershaw carried strong and had a good game, so there were some good individual performances - but as a team, we were a little bit clunky. That's fair enough for your first game. There's plenty of time to work on that."

"A few stood up and there's some headaches around team selection. We've got some good strength in depth and want those lads to keep challenging. We'll have a few headaches going into the cup and round one."

Having spent several years at London, Ward is, by his own admission, an expansionist. So it came as no surprise to hear him talk up the event held in Amsterdam, as well as his hopes for the future.

"I think it's fantastic. Ask the fans to see if they've had a good time in Amsterdam and I'm sure they'll say 'yeah'. We need to branch out. We always say we've got the greatest game in the world so let's take it around the world and showcase it in places where we can grow it. That's only going to be good for the sport."

And in typical Danny Ward style, he jokingly added: "Dubai would be nice next year for a three-game series over two weeks. We'll really push for that one."

Click here - Get the latest news on our Rugby League Live WhatsApp channel