The second game of Super League Magic Weekend is complete with Hull KR overcoming Salford Red Devils and here’s our verdict on the game.
To nobody’s surprise, Hull KR cruised to a 54-0 win with Arthur Mourgue proving the star of the show once again as the Robins extended their lead atop Super League.
It was perfect preparation for the Robins ahead of their Challenge Cup semi-final but it was another game without any points for Salford, despite their immense effort.
Hull KR had been priced up at 1/500 by Super League sponsors Betfred with the league leaders well fancied to extend their lead at the top of the table and one of the major questions was if Willie Peters would rest any players, given their upcoming Challenge Cup semi-final.
NRL recruit Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was left out whilst outside back Noah Booth was handed a debut in the key changes for the Robins, whilst Salford saw their spine changed once again as Ryan Brierley and Joe Mellor both missed out. That saw Jayden Nikorima shift to full-back to anchor a very young and inexperienced side.
Here’s our verdict on the second game of Super League Magic Weekend.
Hull KR extend their lead atop Super League as Salford nilled again
Salford conceded after 83 seconds against Leigh Leopards last week and it took Hull KR just 123 this week to cross the line but it was ruled out after the Red Devils’ successful captain’s challenge, granting them a reprieve.
That reprieve didn’t last too long as Dean Hadley opened the scoring within the first 10 minutes but not before Hull KR centre Oliver Gildart limped off with a knee injury, causing great concern ahead of next week’s Challenge Cup semi-final.
Hull KR struggled to build on their lead with the Robins looking sloppy, something evident when Mikey Lewis kicked out on the full after 15 minutes, however, they did finally get their second and it came through hometown hero Sam Luckley who crashed over just before the 25-minute mark.
Peta Hiku then crashed over before Mikey Lewis broke the defence open and made the pass to Jez Litten who raced away to finish from 40 metres out to make it 24-0 at the half. That lead was extended early in the second-half with Lewis the creator again as he offloaded close to the Salford line to allow James Batchelor to score in the corner.
The next try was the best of the lot as debutant Noah Booth scored acrobatically in the corner on the back of a brilliant Peta Hiku offload but the Robins continued to commit too many errors. One positive was that Arthur Mourgue kept up his perfect kicking record to make it 36-0.
Jez Litten scored his second after a brilliant Sam Luckley offload and Bill Leyland break. Finally, Arthur Mourgue got his try with the Frenchman supporting Tyrone May and crashing over under the sticks to make it 48-0. Mourgue wasn’t done as he added his second before converting it to take his personal points tally to 26 in the 54-0 win.
Good day for
Sam Luckley scored at St James Park once again and the prop played a larger role this week with JWH rested and Oliver Gildart limping off early, meaning the interchanges got more minutes. His offload game was exceptional once again.
Bad day for
Paul Rowley will have seen plenty of effort once again but his side welcomed pressure on themselves early on and lost the game before they even managed to get a foot in it. It’s incredibly touch circumstances but it doesn’t make the fact they were nilled at Magic Weekend for a second year running any easier.
Star man
Arthur Mourgue was perfect with the boot and he wasn’t half bad in general play either. The French full-back has settled in brilliantly at Hull KR and he will be a major miss next week with the former Catalans man cup-tied for the semi-final against his former team.
Teams
Hull KR XIII: Arthur Mourgue, Noah Booth, Peta Hiku, Oliver Gildart, Jack Broadbent, Mikey Lewis, Tyrone May, Sauaso Sue, Jez Litten, Jai Whitbread, Dean Hadley, James Batchelor, Elliot Minchella
Interchanges: Sam Luckley, Jack Brown, Eribe Doro, Bill Leyland
Salford Red Devils XIII: Jayden Nikorima, Ethan Ryan, Esan Marsters, Jonny Vaughan, Nathan Connell, Joe Shorrocks, Kai Morgan, Jack Ormondroyd, Sam Davis, Tiaki Chan, Ben Hellewell, Matty Fosters, Harvey Makin
Interchanges: Toby Warren, Justin Sangare, Harvey Wilson, George Hill
Locked in for Game 2 of #MagicWKND 🔒
Watch the action on @SkySports 📺
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— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) May 3, 2025
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