The Robins clung on for a 20-16 win at Leigh
Frankie Halton of Leigh is tackled by Sauaso Sue of Hull KR
Hull KR claimed their eighth win on the spin as they beat Leigh Leopards 20-16 to keep up the pressure on Super League’s top three.
The Robins scored three tries on the day, with Peta Hiku, Tom Davies and Arthur Mourgue touching down in the first half at Leigh Sports Village. Leigh found success too, with Jacob Alick-Wiencke, Josh Charnley and Jack Hughes getting over, but ultimately, Rovers showed their nous and knowhow to get the job done.
There will be some concern for Mourgue, though, with the Frenchman leaving the field through injury on his return after a three-month lay-off.
With their tails up after reaching the Challenge Cup final last time out, it was KR who took the lead in the game, with Rhyse Martin slotting a penalty from in front of the posts.
The pre-match downpour made for slippery conditions in Leigh and it told as both teams struggled to keep hold of the ball.
Mourgue, in his first major bit of action, gratefully clung onto Lachlan Lam’s chip over the top though and from the resulting goal line drop out came the opening try.
Forcing KR back to their own, Leigh made the most of the pressure they had built as Alick-Wiencke burst through a gap between Joe Burgess and Oliver Gildart to touch down.
The handling errors kept coming, but when AJ Towse dropped the ball 15 metres out, Rovers made him pay as Hiku went on to spin around a tackle and touch down to restore the Robins’ lead.
With their foot on the gas, Rovers went on to take a firm stranglehold of the game before the break with two more tries. The first stemmed from a Elliot Minchella break through the middle before Davies eventually got over in the corner.
And, Mourgue marked his return with a try as he slipped through the challenge of Lachlan Lam to touch down.
There was still time for a bit more drama in the first half though as Mikey Lewis saw yellow for a professional foul, holding down Umyla Hanley.
Rovers kept up their pressure in the second half, suffocating their hosts without necessarily getting the reward on the scoreboard. The Robins forced multiple drop outs in the second half and as the game wore on, they looked the more likely to touch down.
However, KR’s afternoon was soured a little when Mourgue went down with about 20 minutes to go appearing to hold the pec he injured in February.
Charnley pulled a try back for Leigh and Hughes ensured it was a tight finish and despite breaks from Alick-Wiencke and Edwin Ipape, the Robins clung on to the victory.