Burgess scores four as leaders Hull KR thrash Saints

Betfred Super League

St Helens (0) 6

Try: Whitby Goal: Whitby

Hull KR (26) 42

Tries: Burgess 4, Lewis, May, Tanginoa, Whitbread Goals: Lewis 5

Joe Burgess scored four tries as Hull KR hammered St Helens to maintain their lead at the top of Super League.

The winger notched a first-half hat-trick as injury-hit Saints struggled to contain a Rovers side that powered to a seventh successive win.

Mikey Lewis and Tyrone May also crossed the whitewash in a one-sided first half, and for a long spell it looked like Saints might be nilled for the second week running, as a Kelepi Tanginoa try extended the Robins' lead early in the second half.

That was avoided as 18-year-old debutant George Whitby scored an opportunist try before Burgess crossed for a fourth time, and Jai Whitbread added another for the hosts after Saints’ Tommy Makinson was red-carded for a high tackle on May.

Saints had won their previous 10 home games against the Robins but - with a host of injuries and after losing six of their previous eight games - their fans turned up for this one with a degree of trepidation.

The visitors set out with ruthless purpose and, with Niall Evalds masterminding most of their best work, were ahead inside three minutes as Burgess raced over in the corner for his 150th career try.

Hull KR winger Joe Burgess celebrates one of his four tries against St Helens

Biggest winning margin against Saints

With Waqa Blake in the sin-bin for a high tackle, the hosts wilted as Rovers stretched them, with Lewis scoring against Saints for the fourth successive game and May strolling in for his sixth Super League try of the season.

Peta Hiku created the space for Burgess to again go over in the corner and the winger took his tally to three before half-time as Evalds again provided the overlap.

There was no let-up from the dominant league leaders at the start of the second half as Tanginoa forced his way over for another try.

The Robins took their foot off the accelerator and in a rare foray into enemy territory former England academy captain Whitby, a lifelong Saints fan, chased his own grubber kick and pounced for a debut try when Evalds fumbled the ball in his own in-goal area.

However, that sparked Rovers back into action as May's lovely miss pass sent Burgess in for his fourth, and 15th of the season, before Whitbread completed their biggest Super League score and winning margin against Saints.

Post-match reaction

Hull KR coach Willie Peters told BBC Radio Humberside:

“We know Saints are going through a lot at the moment in terms of injuries so they played a lot of young players, so credit to them because they didn’t stop trying.

“Saints are dangerous no matter who they put out, they have a system and culture throughout the whole club but we put our foot on the pedal and kept our foot on it.

“In the second half there was a bit of a lull and we let in a try but overall I’m really happy with it.

“It was nice to see Joe get four tries but I thought Tyrone (May) was outstanding.”

St Helens: Robertson, Makinson, Blake, Vaughan, Ritson, Lomax, Whitby, Delaney, Mbye, Lees, Whitley, Mata'utia, Joe Batchelor

Interchanges: Paasi, Royle, Burns, Stephens

Hull KR: Evalds, Burgess, Hiku, Broadbent, Hall, May, Lewis, Sue, Parcell, Whitbread, Hadley, James Batchelor, Minchella

Interchanges: Litten, Luckley, Storton, Tanginoa

Referee: Chris Kendall.