Champions, in all but the silverware, Hull KR, followed
their massive win against the Salford Red Devils last time out with another
seemingly straightforward game against an equally embattled Castleford Tigers
as the full house signs once again went up in east Hull.
The visitors were given a thirty-six point start on the
coupon as the Robins sought the win which would again take them four points
clear at the top with seven rounds remaining, a win for the Tigers by sixteen
or more would lift them into tenth above the Catalans Dragons who were
scheduled to play later in the afternoon.
It was a determined start from Castleford who had
opportunities to score in the opening quarter of an hour but lacked finesse in
the final ten metres. Their defence held firm against the Hull KR attack until
close to the quarter game mark.
On eighteen Mikey Lewis released Joe Burgess to score in the
corner, Lewis getting hit hard after releasing the pass. Arthur Mourgue failed
to add the conversion as Jeremiah Simbiken was sin-binned for the late hit. Hul
KR four up, Castleford a mad down.
On twenty-five Burgess was in for his second, stooping to
score one-handed off a Jack Broadbent miss-out pass. Mourgue found the target
with his second conversion attempt for a 10-0 lead.
Against the run of play the Tigers got their opener on the
half hour mark, Alex Mellor jumping to catch a Daejarn Asi high kick and going
over unopposed from ten metres out. Asi added the extras for 6-10.
A sleepy Castleford defence was breached again on
thirty-five, Jez Litten scampering to the line with a scoot from dummy half,
going ten metres and diving over under the sticks. Mourgue added his second
goal of the game for 16-6.
Hull KR didn’t have it all their own way in the first half,
but it was doubtful that the Tigers could maintain their intensity for the full
eighty.
Louis Senior had a try ruled out on forty-seven, losing
control of the ball in the act of grounding.
Three minutes after being denied, the Tigers conceded as
Rhyse Martin was the man on the overlap to run the angle and score in the left
corner. Mourgue flashed his kick across the face of the sticks.
Mikey Lewis fed Burgess for his winger to break down the left
wing for thirty metres before passing back inside to the supporting Lewis to go
over from twenty metres out for the fifth Robins try, the game now totally out
of Castleford’s grasp. Mourgue was on target again for a twenty-point lead.
A dancing Mourgue added a try to his three goals on sixty-four,
and then he added a fourth goal for 32-6, Hull KR rapidly getting out of sight.
Burgess completed his hat-trick, and his seventh try in two
games, taking a floated pass from Broadbent to again score by the left corner
flag. Mourgue missed his third kick of the afternoon.
The Robins are again four points clear at the top of the table,
perfectly setting up their round twenty-two clash when they will travel to
Wigan with the chance to almost seal the minor premiership. Castleford weren’t
expected to get anything out of this game and at times they proved to be decent
opposition but once the game ebbed away from them in the second half their heads
went down, and they started to tire.
Hull KR: Broadbent, Davies, Hiku, Batchelor, Burgess (3T),
Lewis (T), Mourgue (T, G 4/7), Sue, McIlorum, Whitbread, Martin (T), Hadley,
Minchella. Subs: Litten (T), Luckley, Tanginoa, Doro. 18th Man: Brown.
Castleford Tigers: Windley, Senior L, Hodson, Wood, Simm,
Asi (G 1/1), Westerman, Amone, Robb, Stimson, Mellor (T), Simbiken (SB on 20),
Lawler. Subs: Singleton, Hall, Griffin, Mustapha. 18th Man: Hill.
Half-Time: 16-6.
Full-Time: 36-6.
Score Progression: 4-0,
(SB), 8-0, 10-0, 10-4, 10-6, 14-6, 16-6 : HT: 20-6, 24-6, 26-6, 30-6, 32-6, 36-6 :b.
Lead Exchanges: Hull KR.
Referee: Tom Grant.
