Super League: St Helens 26-18 Hull KR - James Roby breaks Super League appearance record

James Roby's appearance for St Helens against Hull KR was his 455th in Super League

James Roby scored for St Helens as they beat Hull KR on a day when he broke the Super League appearance record.

Tommy Makinson and Lachlan Coote exchanged tries early on before Roby dived over to send Saints ahead.

Morgan Knowles and Ben Davies touched down for Saints either side of Ryan Hall's try for the visitors.

Konrad Hurrell worked on to Will Hopoate's pass for Saints' fifth try before Coote pulled Rovers within eight points of their opponents late on.

St Helens' win extends their lead at the top of the table to four points while Hull KR are defeated for the eighth time in Super League this term, but remain in seventh with a three-point cushion on Leeds Rhinos.

Roby's appearance, his 455th in Super League, means he has surpassed Kevin Sinfield as the player to record the most league appearances in the Super League era.

Saints had Jack Welsby sent to the sin-bin for a push on his ex-teammate Coote early on and Rovers capitalised soon after when the Australian full-back touched down against his former club.

Roby wrestled back the lead for Saints in fine fashion, however, as he picked up the ball from dummy-half to power over.

Rovers had Matt Parcell sent to the sin-bin just before the break for persistent holding down, however they did not hold back as their valiant late rally through Coote pulled them close.

Record-breaking Roby surpasses Sinfield

Roby made his St Helens debut against Widnes Vikings in March 2004 and has since led the club during an era of enormous success.

The 36-year-old skipper has cleaned up in the domestic game, winning the Man of Steel as well as multiple Challenge Cups and Super League titles, and also won 31 England caps.

But Sunday's appearance at the Totally Wicked Stadium meant that Roby added another honour to his collection.

Having surpassed former record holder, now-retired Leeds Rhinos legend Sinfield, Roby's run out meant that he has now played more Super League games than any other player.

Roby has spent his entire career with Saints, making over 500 total appearances for the club and writing himself into both the club's and the league's history books.

"To still be going like he is now, to still be a standout like he is now and he has never changed either," Sinfield said ahead of kick-off.

"He has been the same bloke the whole way through and I am absolutely delighted for him. He is just Mr Consistent and he just delivers and keeps delivering and I don't think I have ever seen him at less than a nine out of 10 game.

"You always just knew that you had to be on it at every single play with Robes. I don't know whether there will be another one, he is a special guy."

St Helens head coach Kristian Woolf told BBC Radio Merseyside:

"He (James Roby) has played 509 St Helens games and 455 Super League games and every one is very similar. That's why he deserves so much credit and that's why we're so proud to have him in our team.

"With all he's achieved and done and the number of games and influence he's had, he's still so humble and it's hard for any blokes in our team to get ahead of themselves when we've got someone leading from ahead like that.

"I thought our first half was very good. We played as good if not better footy than we have all year. I thought we fell away from the first half in the second, particularly in the first 15-20 minutes.

"We let ourselves get a bit frustrated with what was going on in the ruck. On the back of a few really good carries (we) really turned the game back in our favour."

Hull KR boss Tony Smith told BBC Radio Humberside:

"It was gutsy. I thought we tried hard. We gave them a scare and a bit more. I thought we were a handful for them. They were for us too, it wasn't one-way traffic either way, we had our say.

"I thought they were the better team in the first half in particular. I thought they were too quick for us but we troubled them just the same.

"They had to work and we made them work. The ruck area was sloppy for both teams and frustrated them both. We needed a bit more control in that area. They're a good attacking team and a very good defensive team."

St Helens: Hopoate, Makinson, Hurrell, Davies, Grace, Welsby, Lomax, Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Bell, Batchelor, Knowles.

Interchanges: Lussick, Paasi, Wingfield, Norman.

Hull KR: Coote, Ryan, Crooks, Kenny-Dowall, Hall, Lewis, Milnes, Storton, Parcell, King, Johnson, Halton, Hadley.

Interchanges: Vete, Litten, Minchella, Keinhorst

Referee: M Griffiths.

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