Hull KR simply had too much for Leigh Leopards in Sunday’s top of the table clash as they won 30-0 at Craven Park.
Here’s our verdict.
Action
We’re only five rounds into the new Super League season, but this top of the table clash felt big. Hull KR were defending their 100 per cent record, while a draw at Hull FC was the only blemish on Leigh’s record prior to travelling to east Hull.
Only one team looked like winning, though, and that was clear from the start, with Rovers asserting their dominance early. Oliver Gildart was the man to score Rovers‘ first, ghosting through the Leigh line with ease before beating David Armstrong to the corner from around 10m out.
That was followed by a somewhat opportunistic effort from Mikey Lewis, touching down for the one of the easiest tries of his career after Elliot Minchella somehow got the ball away despite the attention of four defenders.
Leigh thought they had hit back through Bailey Hodgson but the Hull-born winger saw his effort ruled out for what a clear double movement. And from there, Rovers managed to all but put the game to bed with Lewis turning provider for the third try of the afternoon.
Driving into the Leigh line with a turn of pace, Lewis got his upper body free to find the follow up run of Kelepi Tanginoa on the inside, with the back-rower touching down with ease.
Rovers’ star man was on hand to get KR’s fourth too, collecting Joe Burgess’ kick to finish with ease. Some quick hands on the left edge set Burgess away down the flank before the winger picked out the run of Lewis with a delicate chip inside.
Leigh huffed and puffed in the second half as they attempted to find away around the Rovers’ resolute back line, but they couldn’t put anything together worthy of really troubling the home side.
KR extended their lead through a Lewis penalty and they scored their fifth as Tom Davies made the most of a Sam Luckley offload to go over in the corner with just over 10 minutes left. The scoreline was one-sided but it certainly didn’t flatter the Robins.
Star man
Mikey Lewis. Two first half tries and an assist saw Rovers blow Leigh away at Craven Park. This was the Man of Steel at his very best, with his raw creativity on show in the first half before he guided his team through a challenging second half periods.
Good day for
Hull KR. Three points clear at the top after five games isn’t bad going at all. After what many thought was relatively sluggish start, the Robins seem to be close to firing on all cylinders now and they have the best defensive record in the division now to boot.
Bad day for
Leigh Leopards. They never looked like being able to trouble KR at Craven Park as their unbeaten record comes to an end.
Bigger picture
Five games in, five wins. Willie Peters couldn’t have wished for more from his side and with Huddersfield Giants to come next week, they’ll fancy their chances of extending that record and racking up a big score.
Leigh will go back to the drawing board and attempt to dust themselves down ahead of next Friday’s visit of Wakefield Trinity. However, after the manner of this defeat, that game looks set to be a huge test of their mettle.
Teams
Hull KR: Jack Broadbent; Tom Davies, Peta Hiku, Oliver Gildart, Joe Burgess; Mikey Lewis, Tyrone May; Sauaso Sue, Micky McIlorum, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, Dean Hadley, James Batchelor, Elliot Minchella.
Bench: Jez Litten, Sam Luckley, Jai Whitbread, Kelepi Tanginoa.
Leigh Leopards: David Armstrong; Bailey Hodgson, Tesi Niu, Umyla Hanley, Keanan Brand; Gareth O’Brien, Lachlan Lam; Owen Trout, Edwin Ipape, Alec Tuitavake, Ethan O’Neill, Jack Hughes, Isaac Liu.
Bench: Aaron Pene, Louis Brogan, Matt Davis, Brad Dwyer.
Huge win at home, WHAT A PERFORMANCE! 💪#UpTheRobins🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/eXcpm3rze0
— Hull KR (@hullkrofficial) March 23, 2025
