Super League: Leeds Rhinos 12-0 Hull KR - Youthful hosts end Rovers' winning run
- Published
Morgan Gannon, 18, goes over for his third Super League try of the season
Betfred Super League |
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Leeds (6) 12 |
Tries: Prior, Gannon Goals: Martin 2 |
Hull KR (0) 0 |
Leeds secured back-to-back wins for the first time this season as they ended Hull KR's six-match winning run at Headingley.
Matt Prior's fourth-minute try and Rhyse Martin's goal gave a youthful Rhinos side a 6-0 half-time lead.
Rovers wasted numerous chances before Morgan Gannon's try and Martin's penalty stretched the lead to 12-0.
The Robins saw Albert Vete sin-binned for a high tackle before Leeds had a third try ruled out for Ash Handley.
A third win of the season moved the Rhinos up to a season-high ninth place and was a great send-off for interim coach Jamie Jones-Buchanan, with new head coach Rohan Smith expected to arrive next week.
Jones-Buchanan again had to juggle a squad depleted by injury and suspensions, fielding a young side which had never previously played together and missing Zak Hardaker who fell ill on Tuesday shortly after agreeing his Rhinos return.
But while the youngsters played with composure and maturity, the visitors were abject, as Tony Smith saw his team miss their chance to complete a perfect month of six wins against his former side.
The hosts struck the first blow when Blake Austin's grubber into the in-goal area ricocheted off the back-tracking Ben Crooks straight to the grateful Prior.
It was a fitting try for an error-strewn first half as Rovers wasted several good attacking positions with a string of penalties and poor passes, while Brad Dwyer was denied a second Leeds try by last-ditch defence.
Ryan Hall almost levelled things up just before the hooter, but Jack Sinfield, son of Rhinos legend Kevin, made a try-saving tackle in the corner.
The Robins' wastefulness continued into the second half, spurning a three-on-one overlap when Sam Woods threw a forward pass trying to find Hall.
And moments later the hosts made them pay when Kruise Leeming's deft grubber-kick bounced away from the skipper's chase, but into the path of Gannon to touch down.
Rovers were masters of their own downfall, but Leeds' spirit and endeavour also told, typified in the closing moments when Korbin Sims and Jimmy Keinhorst were both held up over the Rhinos line by defiant last-gasp defence.
Leeds Rhinos interim coach Jamie Jones-Buchanan told BBC Radio Leeds:
"They have got there through hard work and sheer effort and tipping into each other, working exceptionally hard from Monday to Friday and turning up on Friday night to do what's important on the dancefloor. I knew it would come to fruition.
"When Rohan gets here, someone who has very similar values to myself, he will pick it up and kick it on and those boys can go as far as they want. There is no ceiling.
"I've really enjoyed myself. It's been the most enlightening month of my life. I've learned so much and it's only helped me in my development. Rohan has just texted me and I've texted him back 'they're all yours and they're ready for it as well'."
Hull KR head coach Tony Smith told BBC Radio Humberside:
"We were flat. That's not an excuse, that's the reality, but we were beaten to the punch on most occasions tonight.
"We made a couple of blunders on two kick tries and were beaten 12-0, but we were beaten around the field, they were just sharper.
"They had some youth on their side, they picked a young team, they had fresh legs and they did well.
"It's unfortunate we turned in that performance and it's not through desire - players don't go out there to be flat. When we needed to raise our energy levels, it just wasn't there.
(On Kane Linnett's bicep tear): "He may be able to play for us next week. It is a bad situation he's in, but the consultant can't operate on him for a couple of weeks, so the consultant said to him 'if you want to strap it up and carry on you can and if you tear it, it's not worse that what I'm going to have to deal with in the next week or two anyway'.
"If he gets through it and we have a good day, he may delay it until after the [Challenge Cup] final."
Leeds: Oledzki, Dwyer, Prior, Donaldson, Gannon, Smith, Leeming, Austin, Tindall, Martin, Simpson, Handley, Broadbent.
Interchanges: Thompson, Mustapha, Sinfield, O'Connor.
Hull KR: Coote, Ryan, Crooks, Wood, Hall, Milnes, Abdull, Vete, Parcell, King, Hadley, Storton, Minchella.
Interchanges: Sims, Keinhorst, Maher, Richards.
Sin-bin: Albert Vete (70)
Referee: J. Child.