Hull KR dialled the pressure up on Wigan Warriors on Friday night as they beat Castleford Tigers to return to the top of the table. The Robins ran in seven tries against the Tigers, who dug deep but had no answer for the rampant Rovers with the home side winning 36-6 at Craven Park.
Fresh from their remarkable win over Warrington Wolves last time out, Hull KR got off to the worst possible start on home soil as Alex Mellor got over the line after some fine work from Joe Westerman.
Rovers started to go through the gears after going behind and it wasn’t too long before they had 10 points on the board as Peta Hiku and Joe Burgess touched down. With the Robins’ playing with their tails up and Mikey Lewis starting to pick holes and control the game.
It was the half-back that got KR’s third try of the night, setting Oliver Gildart away down the left before touching down after being rewarded for his support run. Ryan Hall proved too strong for Tex Hoy as he touched down late in the first half.
Castleford were spirited in the second half but after stunting Rovers for 20 minutes or so, the defensive line eventually bowed with Hiku putting Burgess over for a second, before Evalds got over.
The scoreline would have been more dominant had Lewis not forgotten his kicking boots, making a habit of pushing his conversion attempts wide. He made no mistake adding the extras to Tyrone May’s effort, though, putting the finishing touches on their fifth consecutive win.
Over to Wigan, who face Leeds Rhinos on Saturday.
Man of the match
Joe Burgess. A dominant showing from the winger, who got two tries on the night and set up another. His yardage was remarkable but he combined well with Hiku, who was also excellent, too. Honourable mentions go to Hiku, Mikey Lewis and Matt Parcell, who pulled the strings in the middle for the Robins.
Stand out moment
At 20-6 down, Castleford managed to stem the flow of the game and get Rovers rocking as they pushed to find a way back into the contest. Joe Burgess managed to ease the pressure, though, finishing Hiku’s powerful break.
Hull KR v Castleford Tigers player ratings
Hull KR: Niall Evalds 8; Joe Burgess 9, Peta Hiku 9, Oliver Gildart 7, Ryan Hall 7; Tyrone May 7 , Mikey Lewis 8; Jesse Sue 8, Matt Parcell 8, Jai Whitbread 7, Dean Hadley 7, James Batchelor 7, Elliot Minchella 7.
Bench: Jez Litten 7, Sam Luckley 7, Matty Storton 6, Kelepi Tanginoa 7.
Castleford Tigers: Tex Hoy 6; Jason Qareqare 6, Luis Johnson 5, Alex Mellor 7, Innes Senior 5; Rowan Milnes 5, Jacob Miller 5, Muizz Mustapha 6, Liam Horne 6, Liam Watts 6, Elie El-Zakhem 6, Nixon Putt 5, Joe Westerman 6.
Bench: Sylvester Namo, Cain Robb 6, George Hill 5, Daniel Hindmarsh 5.
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