Hull KR’s excellent season shows no signs of slowing down after they obliterated Castleford Tigers, winning 48-0.
The Challenge Cup winners look almost peerless right now. The Tigers, admittedly one of the weaker sides in the competition, had absolutely no answer to them, and they weren’t the first team this season either. Rovers were simply far too good in every department.
This was their 19th win in 20 games this season and the sixth time they have kept a side to nil this season. They are being truly dominant.
It’s more impressive when you think they’re coming off such a big moment in club history that came with so much pressure and expectation. In the two games since, they’ve scored 116 points.
Only one change was made to the team with Sam Luckley returning for Eribe Doro.
Rovers blew Castleford away in the opening exchanges. The hosts had no answer to Rovers’ physicality through the middle and speed around the ruck.
Jez Litten earned a six again with a dangerous scoot, Mikey Lewis sunk into the line, threw a pass to Jack Broadbent and he rounded Zac Cini to open the scoring. Mourgue converted for a 6-0 lead in four minutes.
It wasn’t long until that lead was extended. Litten laid the platform again with a devious kick behind that Cini had to clear for a drop out. From there, quick hands to the left culminated with Noah Booth diving home in the corner. Mourgue again converted.
Castleford did put up some resistance for a period thereafter, scrambling hard defensively to deny Davies in the corner, then forcing a drop out themselves.
But after conceding another penalty for offside, Rovers would capitalise. Mourgue threw an outstanding cut-out pass over the top that Castleford had no answers to, and Davies dived home. Mourgue missed from out wide.
It was probably game over at that point, and it certainly would have been if Mikey Lewis’ try wasn’t successfully overturned by the captain’s challenge, after it was proven Joe Westerman had the ball stripped out.
But soon after, Mourgue scored. Sam Luckley took the ball to the line, offloaded and the Frenchman did the rest. 20-0 at half-time, it was over as a contest.
After the break, Rovers showed how important ‘chasing zeroes’ is to them. Innes Senior made a deep break after getting the better of Davies and escaping the clutches of Hiku. After getting away from Mourgue and finding Cini, a try appeared inevitable but an astonishing last-ditch tackle from Broadbent forced a fumble out of Cini and kept the Tigers to nil.
Minutes later, Broadbent played a key role in Rovers scoring, taking in Lewis pass, beating his man and flinging an offload inside from which Jai Whitbread crashed over. Mourgue’s extras made it 26-0.
Rovers fronted up defensively again when Lewis conceded a penalty for unsportsmanlike behaviour after celebrating an error. Soon after, Booth bagged his brace after showing superb pace to break through a gap after a high kick was dropped.
Another soon followed, Davies stepped inside Asi with ease and tipped on to Hiku for a seventh try of the night. And that still wasn’t it. Cini dropped a high kick on the last and with Castleford dispirited, Rovers moved the ball right and Davies got an easy second score. The scoring was completed by Broadbent, who spectacularly leapt to claim a crossfield kick for his second and Rovers’ ninth.
Tigers: Zac Cini, Josh Simm, Louis Senior, Sam Wood, Innes Senior, Daejarn Asi, Rowan Milnes, Tom Amone, Liam Horne, Brad Singleton, George Lawler, Alex Mellor, Chris Atkin. Subs: Joe Westerman, George Griffin, Sam Hall, George Hill.
Hull KR: Arthur Mourgue, Tom Davies, Peta Hiku, Jack Broadbent, Noah Booth, Mikey Lewis, Tyrone May, Sauaso Sue, Jez Litten, Dean Hadley, Jai Whitbread, James Batchelor, Elliot Minchella. Subs: Sam Luckley, Jack Brown, Kelepi Tanginoa, Bill Leyland.
Tries: Broadbent (4, 79), Booth (10, 65), Davies (25, 73), Mourgue (32), Whitbread (53), Hiku (70)
Goals: Mourgue 6/9