Hull KR came from behind to beat Leeds Rhinos 20-14 in a thriller at Headingley that saw two players sent off.
Sauaso Sue’s red card on the hour mark gave a penalty to Leeds to make it 14-6 and the game looked done at that point but the Robins scored three in 15 minutes, two which came after Ash Handley’s red card as Hull KR proved their title credentials.
Both head coaches made changes from their wins in Rivals Round, some enforced and some not, with Brad Arthur opting to roll the dice and change his spine.
Matt Frawley was dropped to 18th man with Jack Sinfield promoted whilst Mikolak Oledzki also returned to the side after his suspension. Willie Peters replaced wingers Joe Burgess and Tom Davies with Peta Hiku and Jack Broadbent, forcing James Batchelor to move into the centres.
That proved a wise decision for Peters as Hull KR came out on top by a score of 20-14 with Broadbent scoring two and Batchelor one, and the player ratings for both teams are now in.
A huge result for Hull KR at Headingley 👏 pic.twitter.com/bLJQlAex5e
— Sky Sports Rugby League (@SkySportsRL) April 25, 2025
Leeds Rhinos player ratings
Lachie Miller
A couple of moments he’d rather forget, burn very good overall. – 8
Ryan Hall
Lasted 10 minutes against his former club before injuring an ankle. – 5
Harry Newman
Had to play out of position after Hall went off; a couple of errors, some good runs. – 7
Ash Handley
Scored a terrific try, heavily involved in another but was sent off late on. – 7
Riley Lumb
Excellent try-saving tackle on Mikey Lewis and his touchdown was a world-class score. – 8
Jake Connor
Clever kick for Handley’s try, involved in Lumb’s touchdown and had another big game. – 8
Jack Sinfield
Early sin-binning was costly, some smart kicks, but several went astray. – 7
Cooper Jenkins
Not a lot of game time, conceded a penalty in his first stint but was full of energy. – 7
Jarrod O’Connor
No breaks, but defended strongly. – 7
Mikolaj Oledzki
Set a really strong lead in the middle of the field. – 8
James McDonnell
Little opportunity with the ball, but a strong defensive effort. – 7
Morgan Gannon
Ran the ball strongly, put himself about in defence. – 7
Keenan Palasia
Played 54 minutes straight and had a big impact. – 8
Subs
Sam Lisone
Not a lot of time, but made a genuine impact. – 8
Kallum Watkins
Came on early at centre and did a fine job. – 8
James Bentley
A penalty conceded cost Leeds two points, but worked hard. – 7
Tom Holroyd
Got plenty of game time and made good use of it with some powerful running – 8
Hull KR player ratings
Arthur Mourgue
Commanding under the high ball but his goal-kicking lacked. – 6
Peta Hiku
Moved to the wing and made the break to create the first try but was defensively targeted at times. – 6
James Batchelor
Moved into the centres and Leeds tried to target him as a result. Managed to score the try that drew the game level and gave the Robins the impetus to win the game. – 7
Oliver Gildart
Laid the pass on for Broadbent’s try and put in another strong performance. – 7
Jack Broadbent
Scored a walk-in try after just 10 minutes and his second started the comeback. A one-two with Mikey Lewis made the winner as he put in a brilliant performance out of position. – 9
Mikey Lewis
Shanked a first-half drop goal attempt and his in-play kicking game lacked diversity until the moment he nailed a 40/20 with just over ten minutes to go, helping to change the momentum of the game. Went on to score the winner. – 8
Tyrone May
Bad read for the first try as he rushed out of the line and was made to look silly by Jake Connor. – 6
Sauaso Sue
Strong carries once again and was one of the best in the Robins pack before being sent off for a shot on Sam Lisone. There was no attempt to wrap but given Jack Sinfield’s sin bin and the mitigation of Lisone falling, a red looked incredibly harsh. – 6
Jez Litten
Tried to rush from dummy-half unsuccessfully on a number of occasions. Went off but came back on recharged and helped his side win. – 7
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
Had his best game in a Hull KR shirt last week against Hull FC but couldn’t carry that form forwards. – 6
Dean Hadley
Mr Consistent for Hull KR in recent years but was lacking like many others tonight. – 6
Kelepi Tanginoa
Asked to play from the start rather than be the impact sub and understandably had less impact as a result. Failed a HIA in the second half. – 5
Elliot Minchella
Had a couple of first-half knock-ons and lacked his usual spark in the spine. Did show immense leadership late on though. – 6
Interchanges
Jai Whitbread
Thought he’d scored but a knock-on earlier in the play ruled it out. Didn’t have the same impact from the bench he normally has. – 6
Jack Brown
Helped changed the game when he came on late – 7
Sam Luckley
Asked to come on and lift it but struggled like those before him. – 6
Bill Leyland
Came on with 20 minutes to go for his Hull KR Super League debut, tasked with turning the game around. Went very well and levelled up the intensity. – 7
Friday night lights 😍
Live on @SkySportsRL Action, 8pm KO 🙌#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/bQuzEWiIgi
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) April 25, 2025
