Challenge Cup: Hull KR 28-10 Salford Red Devils - Rovers cruise into semi-finals

Hull KR's win against Salford was their first win in four games, dating back to their victory against Batley in the previous round of the cup

Hull KR put their recent Super League woes aside to beat Salford Red Devils and reach their second successive Challenge Cup semi-final.

Tries from Ryan Hall, Tanguy Zenon and Kane Linnett had Rovers cruising at 18-0, with their third score coming when a man down just before the break.

Tim Lafai grabbed Salford's first points immediately after the break.

Shaun Kenny-Dowell and Dean Hadley tries sealed Rovers' victory before Joe Burgess scored Salford's late second.

Hull KR's cup progress has come amid a miserable run of four straight Super League defeats.

Their only two wins in the past five weeks have been in the knockout competition, including their 50-0 thrashing of Championship part-timers Batley in the previous round.

Defeat for Super League high-flyers Salford halted a four-game winning run - which included a Magic Weekend victory over Rovers.

Hall energised the home crowd early on as he powered over in the corner for the game's first try.

Rovers did well to limit Salford in response then added to their advantage midway through the first half, with Zenon touching down under the posts on his debut after joining on loan from Catalans Dragons this week.

The hosts ended the half a man down with Elliot Minchella sin-binned for his involvement in a scuffle with Jack Ormondroyd.

Immediately after Rovers went down a man, the Red Devils had their best first-half chance to pull a try back but lacked composure as Adam Sidlow knocked-on close to the line.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Rovers added to their lead with the final play of the half, Linnett crashing over after Mikey Lewis caught the victors out with a quick tap and go from a penalty.

An superb offload from Joe Burgess under pressure sent Lafai over for Salford's first points of the game soon after the restart.

It sparked the Red Devils to life after a lacklustre first 40 minutes, but it was Rovers who went on to grab the crucial next score through captain Kenny-Dowall.

Hadley got on the end of a grubber kick from Rowan Milnes to ensure the hosts would cruise into the last four, while a last-minute try from Burgess added some respectability to the scoreline for the visitors.

Hull KR head coach Willie Peters:

"It was a great performance and it was obviously what we needed.

"I'm sure everyone here still believed in the players, but they needed to go out and execute and give themselves the belief that they can still play that style.

"We don't want to look on who's not playing, it's all about who is playing. The players out there today are the ones who were knocking on the door and you want players who are ready to step in and play and put in a KR performance."

Salford Red Devils boss Paul Rowley:

"We came up with soft errors and we didn't apply ourselves well enough or physically enough in defence across the game.

"Generally big games are never the most glamorous, they're built on discipline with the ball and applying yourselves physically in defence and I don't think we did that.

"We're a good enough team to come back from that. We're not a team that dwells too much, we move on pretty quick, but it's hard to change a trend when you don't apply yourselves from the start."

Hull KR: Zenon, Senior, Opacic, Kenny-Dowall, R Hall, Lewis, Milnes, King, Litten, Luckley, Hadley, Linnett, Minchella.

Interchanges: Parcell, Kennedy, Storton, Aydin.

Salford: Brierley, Sio, Cross, Lafai, Burgess, Croft, Sneyd, Dupree, Atkin, Vuniyayawa, Watkins, Stone, Partington.

Interchanges: Bourouh, Ormondroyd, Sidlow, Hellewell.

Referee: Ben Thaler.