Hull KR utility player Rhys Lovegrove is set to miss the start of the new Super League season after severing tendons in his hand during a freak accident at a funeral.

The 20-year-old former St George Illawarra player slipped and fell and cut himself on some glass lying on the ground.

Lovegrove, who can play in the second row or at centre, will see a specialist on Friday to determine the full extent of the damage but is expected to sit out the opening month. Rovers kick off the campaign against defending champions Leeds on February 2.

"We will miss his versatility in the first part of the season," coach Justin Morgan told the Hull Daily Mail.

"He was definitely in my thoughts for selection in the season opener at Headingley."

New signings Shaun Briscoe and Garret Crossman will link up with Rovers before they set off for their warm-weather training camp in Portugal next Thursday.

Full-back Briscoe returns from honeymoon next week while Crossman's arrival from Australia has been held up by visa problems.

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