The Robins were second best at Headingley.
Hull KR were taught a lesson by Leeds Rhinos as they were well beaten by Brad Arthur’s men, losing 28-6.
The Rhinos produced an utterly dominant first-half performance, and the Robins had no answer to them as they were dealt a punch to the nose on their route to a first-ever Super League League Leaders’ Shield.
For Rovers, this may prove to be a timely warning shot. They have had an excellent campaign and will soon complete a domestic double, with only a catastrophic end to the year threatening that.
But this was a stark reminder that any let-up will be punished. Super League has some excellent sides this year and Leeds are one of them. They proved that here and emphatically. They now have back-to-back wins over Willie Peters’ side.
Peters made two changes to the side. Tyrone May’s return was a welcome one as he slotted back into the halves after suspension while Eribe Doro was given the nod to replace Jared Waerea-Hargreaves. Bill Leyland also dropped out. Leeds were unchanged from their win over Castleford Tigers last time out.
Things started disastrously for Rovers when Sauaso Sue was helped off the field with a knee injury inside three minutes. in truth, they never recovered.
They conceded a penalty in the first set and found themselves on the back foot from the get-go.
Eventually, the pressure told. Jez Litten’s forward pass from dummy half gave Leeds the platform. The threat appeared over when Jake Connor picked up the ball from a standing start but he managed to wriggle out of Jai Whitbread’s grasp and race to the line for a solo score.
Connor converted, and he added a second goal from the next set. Rovers conceded a penalty on the second tackle, Leeds worked it forward and when Kallum Watkins’ grubber hit the post padding, youngster Presley Cassell juggled the ball and grounded it to score under the sticks.
At this point, Rovers had a lot of work to do. But they never really threatened to fight their way back into it.
With the ball, Rovers had a few sets in good ball but rarely threatened. Their best chance came when Tyrone May’s floated pass found Tom Davies, but Jake Connor was on hand to make the cover tackle. Beyond that, Rovers either passed killer balls to touch or Leeds players.
When Mourgue threw a pass to Ryan Hall, Leeds stormed forward and had Rovers retreating. They did recover but eventually, Leeds put on a beautiful play that saw Brodie Croft take out three defenders with a pass, and Lachie Miller had the space to weave inside one then step Mourgue to score. 18-0 at half-time.
To make matters worse, Whitbread went off injured and didn’t return, leaving Hull KR down a second forward.
They did come out slightly improved after the break and had some brighter moments, with Litten lively around the ruck and Leeds forced to defend their line well.
But ultimately, it wasn’t enough. They conceded a heap of penalties that meant they could never sustain pressure and instead just meant they had to defend their line.
Rhyse Martin’s try was ruled out by the video referee, and soon after, Connor ensured the game was over by kicking a penalty goal.
They then emphasised the scoreline through Newman, who went in untouched after Jack Broadbent’s misread of a cut-out pass.
Another Connor penalty followed after Rovers conceded a string of penalties. However, Rovers ensured they wouldn’t get nilled as Tom Davies scored in the corner for a consolation try, with Rhyse Martin converting.
That will mean little to Rovers, though, who now need to regroup.
Leeds : Lachlan Miller, Ryan Hall, Ash Handley, Harry Newman, Chris Hankinson, Brodie Croft, Jake Connor, Keenan Palasia, Jarrod O’Connor, Presley Cassell, James McDonnell, Morgan Gannon, Kallum Watkins. Subs: James Bentley, Sam Lisone, Ben Littlewood, Andy Ackers.
Tries: Connor (13), Cassell (17), Miller (26), Newman (70)
Goals: Connor 6/6
Hull KR : Arthur Mourgue, Tom Davies, Peta Hiku, Jack Broadbent, Joe Burgess, Mikey Lewis, Tyrone May, Sauaso Sue, Jez Litten, Jai Whitbread, Rhyse Martin, James Batchelor, Elliot Minchella. Subs: Dean Hadley, Sam Luckley, Kelepi Tanginoa, Eribe Doro.
Tries: Davies (77)
Goals: Martin 1/1