Hull Kingston Rovers successfully exacted revenge on Leigh for last month’s defeat in the Challenge Cup final to progress to next weekend’s Super League playoff semi-finals at the expense of the Leopards, whose season came to an end here.
Rovers will travel to either Wigan or Catalans next weekend, with their opponents to be determined by the outcome of Saturday’s other eliminator between St Helens and Warrington. Wherever they head, they will do so with confidence after comfortably emerging as victors here, just weeks after the Leopards beat the Robins at Wembley in a thrilling cup final.
Three tries in the ten minutes either side of half-time turned the tie decisively in Hull KR’s favour. The sides were level at 2-2 prior to that point but tries for Jack Walker, Ryan Hall and Sam Luckley put the hosts in complete control and despite a try from Josh Charnley briefly threatening a Leigh comeback, the Robins held their nerve in impressive fashion.
“I’m really proud of our players,” their coach, Willie Peters, said. “It was going to go one way or the other after the cup final and this shows who we are as a club.” Leigh’s first season back in Super League has been remarkable, typified by that cup triumph in August.
But their season faded post-Wembley and they always seemed up against it amid a raucous atmosphere in east Hull. “We didn’t see the true identity of us as a team, that’s the frustration,” their coach, Adrian Lam, said. “But they never gave up and I’m proud of them for that.”
Ben Reynolds and Brad Schneider exchanged penalties before the contest swung emphatically Rovers’ way. James Batchelor’s pass sent Walker across before five minutes later, Hall forced his way across the line despite a last-ditch tackle from Joe Mellor. Schneider converted both and suddenly, it was 14-2.
Leads like that can so often be decisive in playoff games and after an error from the kick-off by the Leopards, that advantage was extended further as Schneider’s pass created space for Luckley to touch down.
Leigh certainly did not buckle despite trailing 18-2, but they were ultimately unable to cause Rovers’ defence too many issues to threaten a grandstand finale. They did cross for one try just after the hour mark when Charnley finished a fine Leopards move, but they were unable to add anything further.
That meant that by the time Schneider added another penalty with five minutes to go, there was emphatically no way back for the Leopards.
Hull KR Walker, Senior, Opacic, Kenny-Dowall, R Hall, Lewis, Schneider, Sue, Parcell, King, Batchelor, Linnett, Minchella. Interchange Abdull, Storton, Litten, Luckley
Tries Walker, Parcell, Luckley Cons Schneider 2 Pens Schneider 2 Leigh O’Brien, Briscoe, Gildart, Chamberlain, Charnley, Reynolds, Lam, Amone, Ipape, Mulhern, Hughes, O’Donnell, Wardle. Interchange Mellor, Davis, Nakubuwai, Holmes.
Try Charnley Pen Reynolds
Referee: Jack Smith
