Hull KR 34-18 Warrington Wolves: Highlights and match report

After four losses in a row, Warrington travelled to Hull KR desperate to get back to winning ways against their former long-serving boss Tony Smith.

The home side looked determined to deliver a third league victory to a sell-out crowd and add to Warrington’s struggles – and it turned out to be another tough night for the Wire.

Highlights

Matt Parcell runs the show:

There’s been no doubt around Parcell’s quality, but week on week he provides a reminder as to why he should be considered one of the very best hookers in the competition. His carries from dummy half tortured Warrington from minute one. His resolve in defence during the rare quiet patches for his side were backed up by a strong attacking performance as he played a part in key moments that led to tries.

Hull KR fans attendance justified:

The entertaining brand of rugby on show by Rovers in 2021 was no secret, and the 10,000 fans in attendance will have seen that the squad is more than capable of replicating last year’s success. The home side blew their out of form visitors away in the first quarter of an hour with smooth attack. They were then able to keep Warrington at bay despite their attempt to gain a foothold in the game. Hopefully any fans who went to the game will have seen enough to convince them to return.

Match Report

The first blow for Warrington came when Frankie Halton crashed over in the fourth minute, and that was a sign of things to come on another dismal night for Daryl Powell.

Rovers continued to pile pressure on Warrington as they rolled down the field. Their hard work paid off as the ball was worked out to the left edge to send Ryan Hall in at the corner. Just three minutes later Rovers punished Warrington’s slow start with another try as Lachlan Coote ran in under the sticks making it 16-0 with just 11 minutes played. Just five minutes later a fourth try came in the form of a grubber kick to the corner that was pounced on by Jimmy Keinhorst.

Warrington found some hope after 25 minutes as Peter Mata’utia powered over after an offload from Toby King to make it 20-6. Their momentum was killed after a scoreless 12 minutes were followed by a yellow card for prop Joe Bullock just before half-time.

Whatever the team talk was in the Warrington dressing room, it was not enough to turn the game in their favour as they conceded two tries in the first five minutes of the second half. The first came as Mikey Lewis capitalised on a loose ball two minutes before a Ryan Hall break set up Jez Litten, leaving Warrington with the task of making up a 30-6 scoreline.

After a quiet ten minutes the two sides began trading scores with a George Williams try being followed by Hall’s second score of the game to keep Warrington at a distance. A third try for the away side with 10 minutes to go was not enough to make up for their poor start. Strong defence saw the game out for Hull KR who claimed an important third victory of the season.