The Robins ran riot against Salford Red Devils.
Hull KR moved four points clear at the top of Super League after annihilating Salford 74-12. The victory saw them break their own record for the biggest margin of victory in the competition, bettering the 68-6 win over Catalans last month.
They scored 14 tries, Joe Burgess bagging four, in a ruthless decimation of Salford, who had five senior players pull out from their already decimated squad in the days leading into the game.
The two points were all that really matter for Rovers though and while they will not have an easier game than this again, it will certainly have been a confidence booster.
Willie Peters opted to rest Dean Hadley and Jai Whitbread for this one, with the pair both left out of the side to allow for an extended break. Elliot Minchella and Jack Brown replaced them.
Rovers literally could not have got off to a better start. They kicked off, camped Salford in their own 20, collected the ball on halfway and Tom Davies ran through Salford’s defence for a score with their first touch of the ball.
Amazingly, they scored on the next set too. A break down the left saw Burgess put clear and he passed inside for Jack Broadbent to score his latest try of the season.
Mourgue missed both conversions, but did get on the board when Sauaso Sue scored next. A flat pass near the line saw him punch through and stretch over to score. Ten minutes, 14-0, game over.
The game got a bit scrappy then as both teams made errors and penalties started to creep into the game, especially from Rovers who conceded three in succession.
And from them, Salford would get on the board through Frenchman Justin Sangare. He’d just disagreed with Jared Waerea-Hargreaves, but got one up on him by powering over the score. Kai Morgan converted.
That resulted in another flare-up, and once Rovers got back to halfway for kick-off, Tyrone May was sin-binned for dissent.
But without him on the field, Rovers would add another two tries. Joe Burgess scored the first from a brilliant kick to the corner after seeing Salford were short. Four minutes later, Lewis put a try on a plate for Rhyse Martin as a Salford man shot out of the line and left a gaping hole for the back-rower.
Mourgue had missed another conversion by this point and so Martin took over the duties. Not a bad replacement. He nailed his first one.
Rovers would score tries six and seven before the break. Lewis made another break and put Litten to the line for a simple try, and then, from that kick-off, Rovers went upfield in one score. Luckley carried and offloaded, Lewis took the pass, Burgess made the break, found Lewis, kicked for Burgess, and finished. It was an astonishing try. Martin hit the post from out wide, leaving the halftime score at 36-6.
What followed was a ruthless period from Rovers, who scored five tries in 20 minutes.
Burgess would get his third and fourth within three minutes, Lewis again finding him unmarked off a kick for the first before leaping over Sam Hill for the next one. Martin converted both.
Lewis was next in on the act, backing up Peta Hiku’s break to score under the sticks. From the next set, Rovers scored again, breaking through Burgess who then found Lewis, and he passed on to Mourgue to do the rest.
Just before the hour, Rovers scored their twelfth after a Salford knock-on. Martin made metres and on the next play, the ball was spread wide and Davies had a walk in.
Salford kept huffing and puffing and did apply some pressure through back-to-back drop outs and eventually, they would get another try as Charlie Glover barged over from close range.
But Rovers would score again before the end as Martin hit a gap and raced to the corner to score.
Salford: Murphy, S Hill, Whitehead, Warren, Connell, Brierley, Morgan, Ormondroyd, Mellor, Lewis, Chan, Foster, Wilson. Subs: Glover, Yates, Pye, Sangare.
Tries: Sangare (25), Glover (71)
Goals: Morgan 2/2
Robins: Mourgue, Davies, Hiku, Broadbent, Burgess, May, Lewis, Sue, McIlorum, Waerea-Hargreaves, Martin, Batchelor, Minchella. Subs: Litten, Luckley, Tanginoa, Brown.
Tries: Davies (2, 59), Broadbent (3), Sue (10), Burgess (30, 39, 44, 47), Martin (34, 75), Litten (37, 78), Lewis (52), Mourgue (53)
Goals: Mourgue 2/5, Martin 7/9