Hull KR ease past Giants to move back to top

Hull KR have now won their past six meetings with Huddersfield Giants

Betfred Super League

Hull KR (4) 34

Tries: Burgess 2, Lewis, May, Tanginoa, Brown Goals: Mourgue 5

Huddersfield 0

Hull KR moved back to the top of Super League with a comfortable victory over struggling Huddersfield Giants.

After Wigan Warriors had overtaken them on Friday by beating Leigh Leopards, the Robins did what was required.

Joe Burgess scored the only points of the first half, before Mikey Lewis, Tyrone May, Kalepi Tanginoa, Jack Brown and Burgess again crossed in the second half.

The Giants were unable to breach the league's meanest defence as they stay 11th with a 10th defeat out of 11 games.

With the Challenge Cup final on the horizon at Wembley on 7 June, the mood around Sewell Group Craven Park was high and it looked like it was going to be an easy afternoon when Burgess strolled over in the corner.

Lewis had a second try disallowed shortly after and any momentum they were generating was lost as New Zealand prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves was sin-binned for a high shot on Matty English.

With a man advantage, Huddersfield had a big chance to score but Jacob Gagai was held up over the tryline.

The Giants had only ended their nine-match losing start to the season in their last game against KR's neighbours, Hull FC, at Magic Weekend.

They had been on the end of a 50-4 hiding at John Smith's Stadium when these sides met in March but they remained in the contest here until just before the hour mark.

Last season's Man of Steel Lewis brought things to life with the game's second try, before half-back partner May followed him on to the scoresheet moments later as a dummy and too much determination allowed him to get his first Super League try of the season.

The away side could not stem the tide as Tanginoa and Brown went over before Burgess rounded off the scoring with the best try of the game, involving some more Lewis magic.

And they can build up for a Challenge Cup final dress rehearsal when they travel to Warrington Wolves on Thursday.

'We were defensively solid' - reaction

Hull KR head coach Willie Peters told BBC Radio Humberside:

"I'm happy with the result. We knew Huddersfield were going to turn up today as they have pretty much got their squad back together.

"We've had a big few weeks and we were up against a team who were ready to play.

"We weren't overly happy with what we did in attack particularly in the first half but we were still defensively solid to get a zero."

Huddersfield head coach Luke Robinson told BBC Radio Leeds:

"The game was still in the balance 50-odd minutes in. We defended great in the first half, they put us under a lot of pressure - they're a really good side but I don't think they were unbelievable themselves.

"But to go in 4-0 down I thought we'd done really well. We defended really well but our attack was rubbish, and that's what hurt us in the end.

"With the ball we didn't apply any pressure and eventually we did so much defending in the first half that although it was great it eventually caught up with us where we just couldn't do any more and the floodgates opened then."

Hull KR: Mourgue; Davies, Booth, Broadbent, Burgess; Lewis, May; Hadley, Litten, Waerea-Hargreaves, Whitbread, Batchelor, Minchella

Interchanges: Luckley, Tanginoa, Brown, Leyland

Sin-bin: Waerea-Hargreaves (25)

Huddersfield: Flanagan; Swift, Milne, Halsall, Gagai; Rush, Clune; Wilson, Woolford, Greenwood, Hewitt, Bibby, Cudjoe

Interchanges: Golding, English, Rushton, King

Referee: Tom Grant