Sheer dominance, video referee, harsh reality and Castleford Tigers v Hull KR talking points

Hull KR continued their remarkable form by thumping Castleford Tigers 48-0 at The Jungle on Thursday night.

Here’s a look at some of the talking points we’ve picked out.

Sheer dominance

Rovers’ season won’t be decided by putting Castleford Tigers to sword, but that didn’t stop Willie Peters’ side producing a typically powerful and clinical performance in West Yorkshire. The Robins were in control from start to finish as they touched down for nine tries on the night and kept their hosts to a big, fat zero.

Jack Broadbent was the first to touch down on the night, making the most of a defence-splitting double pump from Mikey Lewis to score against his old side. Broadbent turned provider to get Noah Booth over the line in the corner before Arthur Mourgue found Tom Davies with a superb cut out pass to push the Robins into a comfortable lead.

Mourgue scored just before half-time and Jai Whitbread and Booth scored as KR continued with urgency in the second half. Peta Hiku scored a seventh and Davies found an eighth with his second of the night. Broadbent got another with just a minute remaining on the clock to wrap up another sensational performance. Castleford just couldn’t get a look in.

Rovers clear mental hurdle

After winning the Challenge Cup earlier this month and taking it back to Craven Park last week to face Catalans Dragons, there was a question about the Robins’ mentality heading into this one. As they settle back into the grind of Super League, it would have been completely understandable for Hull KR to experience something of an adrenaline dump at The Jungle.

However, from the kick-off it was obvious that was never going to be the case. The Robins touched down with just a couple of minutes on the clock through Jack Broadbent and that set the tone for what was a remarkably intense and clinical showing.

Hadley superb

The night was about KR’s attacking might with the east Hull outfit making short work of Danny McGuire’s side. The likes of Mikey Lewis, Jack Broadbent, Tom Davies and Arthur Mourgue will all pick up plaudits, but it must be said that Dean Hadley was excellent under the summer sky in Castleford.

Playing through the middle, Hadley was key on both sides of the ball, laying the platform for Broadbent’s opener and turning in a powerful defensive display. To top it off he played huge minutes, spending just 11 minutes on the sidelines before returning to the action to see out the win.

Cas back to earth with a bump

As good as Hull KR were, McGuire will have been looking for so much more from his side, particularly after getting back to winning ways last time out against Hull FC. The Tigers produced one of their best performances at the MKM Stadium to pick up the points, but they were a million miles away from just being in the contest against KR.

They were sloppy at the back, weak on the edges and consistently found themselves giving Rovers the leg up they needed to get down the pitch with some poor discipline. Cas have been showing signs of improvement of late but this may well go down as something of a reality check for the team from Wheldon Road.

Video referee praise

We’d be among the first ones to criticise the video referee if it was necessary, so we’ll take the opportunity to praise Aaron Moore for his performance behind the screen. Moore was kept busy through the night with his brother Liam using him with regularity to have the final say on a number of tries.

However, he was swift and concise in his decision making, watching the footage back once or twice at the absolute most in order to reach a conclusion. Castleford’s captain’s challenge in the first half is exactly the type of situation that would have taken plenty of time a few weeks back but a sharp call was made to keep the game moving.