Rugby League: St Helens 10 - 20 Hull KR

Hull KR stun St Helens to maintain perfect Super League start

They continued their unbeaten start to the Super League season with an impressive 26-12 victory over reigning champions St Helens, handing the hosts their first defeat of the campaign after a bruising encounter at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Author - Michael Haldsworth

Mikey Lewis, returning from injury, made an immediate impact by opening the scoring early on, but Saints responded on the half-hour mark when Curtis Sironen touched down following a clever grubber kick from Jack Welsby.

Tom Davies then nudged the Robins back in front just before the break with a fine finish in the corner, and two quick-fire tries from Oliver Gildart in the second half put the visitors firmly in control.

Welsby grabbed a late try to reduce the deficit, but it proved too little too late as Hull KR held on to claim a statement victory and move top of the Super League table.

In a contest billed as a clash between two title contenders, the quality on show did not disappoint. St Helens, who had made a flawless start to the season with some dazzling displays, were met with a fierce defensive effort and a clinical attacking performance from Willie Peters' side. This was a display that underlined Hull KR's credentials as genuine title challengers.

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The visitors capitalised on some early defensive lapses from Saints, and Lewis made no mistake in crossing the line after latching onto Kyle Feldt's spilled clearance. The half-back, who has now scored in his past five consecutive meetings with St Helens, was unlucky not to double his tally minutes later after failing to gather a sharp offload from Gildart close to the line.

St Helens, however, gradually worked their way into the contest and found their breakthrough on the half-hour mark. Welsby’s expertly-weighted grubber kick found Sironen, who slid over unchallenged to level the scores.

But Hull KR responded immediately. Broadbent, influential throughout, weaved through the Saints' defence to set up Davies for a spectacular diving finish in the corner. Lewis converted to restore the visitors' lead going into the interval.

Hull KR were dealt a blow when Dean Hadley failed a head injury assessment after 25 minutes, but it did little to halt their momentum.

The visitors then took firm control of the contest in the second half. First, Burgess pounced on Lewis’ clever kick before offloading to Gildart, who made no mistake in the corner. Minutes later, Burgess was again the provider after tearing down the left flank and sending Gildart over for his second try in as many minutes.

St Helens showed flickers of a comeback when Welsby touched down for his third try in three games, but Mark Percival’s missed conversion left the deficit at 14 points — a gap that proved insurmountable.

The final whistle sparked jubilant celebrations from Hull KR, who secured back-to-back away wins against St Helens for the first time since the Second World War and laid down a significant marker in their quest for silverware.