A cold rolling apparatus includes a forming roll which applies a forming load to a tube when cold rolling the tube, and a hydraulic positioning assembly including a positioning roller disposable for initial contact with a tube surface and arranged to apply a positioning load to the tube. A hydraulic circuit is coupled to the forming roll and to the hydraulic positioning assembly such that the positioning load is related to the forming load. A face plate mounted for movement with the forming roll, and the positioning roller is mounted to the face plate. The face plate is coupled to a piston of the hydraulic positioning assembly for movement with the piston relative to the forming roll. The piston is housed within a cylinder body coupled to a guide block which is coupled to the forming roll. The forming roll is an outside roll, and the cold rolling apparatus includes two positioning rollers.