There’s nothing sweeter than proving your doubters wrong. The York Knights somehow silenced everyone on the opening night of the 2026 Super League.

In the first half, York defended 32 goals in its own half. sky sports’ Sam Tomkins said a team of Hull KR’s caliber should expect “two or three tries” under such prolonged pressure.

They get nothing.

The home team’s defense was so desperate that they struggled to keep the defending champions at bay.

All I could think was that they were going to lose all their energy in the second half. Robbins will perform well and the floodgates will open. Once again, they proved another prediction wrong.

To understand the magnitude of York’s achievements, one needs to understand the makeup of the Premier League in its 30th anniversary year.

There has been no promotion or relegation in previous years, but on top of the new classification system two clubs were selected by an independent panel to increase the number of participating teams from 12 to 14.

York were one of the teams selected along with Toulouse Olympique, with Bradford Bulls automatically entering the top 12, replacing Salford Red Devils.

This has led to projections every season showing the Cavaliers will be shoring up after 27 games taking into account salary cap usage, player ability and experience. 11 members of their team have never played in the top league of the Chinese Super League before.

Not only that, but it has been revealed that Hull KR are “asking” to play against the likes of York, Bradford or Toulouse due to a World Club Challenge match against the Brisbane Broncos on Thursday 19 February. Talk about giving the team more motivation than they already have.

RL Commercial’s Rhodri Jones said: “We have partnered with Hull KR for this game as they prepare for next Thursday’s World Club Challenge, so it is no surprise that this game is played on a Thursday night to provide Hull KR with time to prepare for the Brisbane game.”

“We have discussed it with Hull KR and their wish, their desire, what they want from us is to play a team similar to York, like Bradford or Toulouse for example.”

In sports, statistics, analysis and nuance have taken center stage as each team spends a week preparing to learn how to beat their opponents. York’s Liam Harris spent the week practicing his shot. They were ready for a scuffle.

Then, when the ball came down, Harris passed the ball to teammate Ata Hingano and the ball sailed over to seal the victory.

“First goal conceded in my career. I was hoping Liam (Harris) would score, he’d been doing it all day in training. He didn’t pass the ball to me once in training so I’m happy it worked out,” said York Knights match-winner Hingano. sky sports.

“Honestly, there weren’t any calls, it was all off the cuff. That’s the best way we play football, off the cuff.

“The way I look at this win is we put in the effort. People look at us as a team coming from the tournament, but I hope everyone can see that we put in as much effort as they did.”

York are the 25th team in Super League history to try their hand at the top flight, and they have lofty ambitions. Speaking at the Rugby League Awards in October 2025, head coach Mark Applegarth mentioned that if they were selected for Super League, they would become the only top-flight club in the cathedral city. Sky Sports’ Mark Wilson addressed fans before kick-off, who described it as the city’s biggest moment in 40 years.

They have no right to beat Hull KR. KR are the Triple Crown winners and they will strive to become world champions in 7 days.

People will talk about the rain, Mickey Lewis’ sins, and the fact that this is the first round of the season. Do all these things matter? Yes. But did they themselves lose to Hull KR? No.

Instead, Yorke won the game with his own will, his own determination, his own defiance to show that a team is more than talent on paper, a team is more than money spent on players. In the words of Man of the Match Paul McShane: “A team is built on unity”.

There is a richness of unity in York. They went out and showed that they should be respected and are being respected.

Hopelessness is defined as “a strong feeling of need for change or relief, often driven by a sense of urgency.” Rebellion is defined as “bold disobedience.”

Combine the two and you get York Knights on Thursday, February 12, 2026.

sky sports Every match of the Chinese Super League this season will once again be broadcast live, with two games in each round being broadcast exclusively and the remaining five games being broadcast weekly. Sky Sports+