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2 months ago
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Hull KR moved to within one victory of a first-ever League Leaders’ Shield after a hard-earned but ultimately deserved victory against St Helens on a night when it felt as though the playoffs had arrived early in Super League.
The stakes were enormous in East Hull. The Saints could have gone second with victory here after a run of nine wins in 10 propelled them into title contention. However, they could now end the weekend fifth after a disappointing defeat in which, while they defended superbly and with great endeavour, their attack failed to click until it was too late.
Rovers also struggled against another defensively strong unit but all that mattered here was that they claimed the victory which moves them so close to securing top spot for the first time in Super League history. They can secure leg two of a historic treble next weekend should they defeat their arch rivals, Hull FC.
To suggest the opening 40 minutes were attritional would be an understatement. The game had all the hallmarks of a playoff encounter with both sides’ defensive efforts of the highest order as the two teams that have conceded the fewest points in 2025 effectively cancelled each other out. In fact, most of the early moments of note came from the referee’s whistle.
Both sides even managed to survive 10 minutes apiece with a numerical disadvantage, with each having a man sin-binned in that first half. Rhyse Martin was shown a yellow for a high tackle on Morgan Knowles which led to the St Helens man failing a head injury check, before George Delaney also saw yellow for a dangerous tackle on Eribe Doro.
By the time Delaney returned, incredibly it was still 0-0 and utterly engrossing despite the lack of points. However, the first points did materialise just before the break when Martin kicked the hosts ahead with a penalty after Mikey Lewis was taken out off the ball.
But the Saints hit back on the stroke of half-time with a penalty of their own through Mark Percival to level matters at the interval. Any notion either side would lapse defensively given what they had been through in that first half proved unfounded, with both still well on top of their game.
However, St Helens’ indiscipline cost them dearly. On three separate occasions inside 14 minutes of the second half they conceded vital penalties in their own territory and on each occasion Martin kicked the penalty to open up a six-point lead. On a night where the margins were so fine, it felt significant.
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It ultimately meant the Saints had to score a try against the meanest defence in Super League just to have a chance of drawing level but they rarely looked capable of doing so. That was, in no small part, thanks to Rovers’ meticulous game-management, which came to the fore with 10 minutes to go in the most decisive moment of all.
Lewis kicked an imperious 40-20 to put the Robins in prime attacking position and from that they finally scored the night’s first try as some wonderful handling enabled Joe Burgess to touch down and open up a 10-point lead.
That moment proved to be decisive too, as with three minutes remaining the Saints finally scored when Jack Welsby’s delicate kick was grounded by Deon Cross. However, it came too late, and Hull KR held on.
