Super League: St Helens 52-12 Hull KR

Winger Adam Swift scored two of St Helens' nine tries at Langtree Park

St Helens stormed back to the top of Super League with a crushing nine-try demolition of Hull KR, whose slim hopes of joining Saints in the Super 8s were extinguished in clinical style.

Saints went 24-0 up with a burst of attacking brilliance yielding four fine tries, before a Rovers fightback halved the deficit before the break.

Adam Quinlan's 70m try made the game safe for Saints early after the break.

And Mark Flanagan, Joe Greenwood and Adam Swift added more gloss for Saints.

Six league places separated the sides before kick-off and the opening stages confirmed the gap in class between the teams, with the Hull KR defence - just - holding firm in the face of some fierce Saints play with ball in hand.

But, when the dam finally burst on 15 minutes, the scores racked up quickly for St Helens, with Greenwood breaking through three tackles to open the scoring.

With the next attack Travis Burns finished off a classic attack, before a brilliant Luke Walsh cut-out pass created the third try out wide for Matty Dawson.

Atelea Vea powered through some weak defence after a fine 40/20 kick from Burns set up the position and the scoreboard took on an ominous look for the visitors.

A comeback of sorts was sparked by Kieran Dixon's opportunistic effort and arguably the try of the night from John Boudebza, but any hope of a genuine contest was ended a few minutes into the second half when Greenwood raced from deep in his own half to open up a commanding lead again.

A rapidly tiring Hull KR side leaked a further four tries in the closing 25 minutes, as Saints made their class tell with Greenwood and winger Swift both grabbing braces and Flanagan scoring his first try of the Super League season.

St Helens: Quinlan, Dawson, Turner, Percival, Swift, Burns, Walsh, Amor, Charnock, Savelio, Greenwood, Jones, Thompson.

Replacements: Masoe, Vea, Walmsley, Flanagan.

Hull K R: Dixon, Cockayne, Salter, Welham, Mantellato, Blair, Chisholm, Walker, Lunt, Puletua, Horne, McCarthy, Burke.

Replacements: Donaldson, Green, Boudebza, Tilse.

Referee: Robert Hicks (RFL)