Hull Kingston Rovers were massive bookies favourites for the win as the league leaders travelled to the Totally Wicked Stadium to take on Paul Wellens St Helens side who were kept scoreless by arch-rivals Wigan Warriors last weekend and who have only registered two win in their last eight outings.
Hull KR are top of the table and a win would almost certainly mean that they would end the weekend ahead of the rest of the field whereas a loss for Saints would plunge them further into crisis and drag them deeper into the fight for a play off place with four other sides.
There was plenty to play for in the sunshine on Merseyside.
A knock-on mistake from the kick off from Saints saw them under pressure early and on the fourth tackle of a restarted set of six Joe Burgess scored a summersaulting try in the corner as he tiptoed along the touchline. Mikey Lewis was just wide with his conversion attempt, but it was the best of starts for the visitors.
On seven minutes Waqa Blake was sin-binned for a high tackle to add to Saints woes and it took KR four minutes to take full advantage as Mikey Lewis supported Ryan Hall to take the pass and go over from twenty metres to score under the sticks. He added the conversion for a ten-point lead.
On fifteen the Robins were in again, Tyrone May the third man on the team sheet as he threw the dummy and dropped the shoulder for a walk-in try. Lewis was on target again, the nightmare worsened for Saints.
Still within the first quarter of the game, KR went in again through Burgess as the Saints defence capitulated. Lewis was unable to convert from the touchline, now fifty percent accurate for the day. Saints had no answer to the Robins onslaught.
Six minutes from the interval Burgess completed his hat-trick with a fifty-metre run down the right wing to wrongfoot the Saints defender and coast over. Lewis drove his conversion between the uprights for 26-0 at the interval.
The first points of the second half came on forty-seven, again in favour of Hull KR after Kelepi Tanginoa barged his way over the line off a Matt Parcell pass to force the ball onto the ground. Lewis added the conversion for 32-0.
For the first time in one hundred and forty-five minutes, Saints scored points when Niall Evalds fumbled a kick through, and George Whitley pounced to ground. Whitley added the conversion, but Saints were still five converted tries behind.
Burgess fourth try of the game was scored on seventy minutes as Saints failed to cover as he took a delightful Tyrone May pass and shrug off two tackles to again ground in the corner. Lewis missed another touchline conversion, the Robins lead up to thirty points.
A high tackle from Tommy Makinson in the seventy-fourth minute saw the Saints star red-carded, for the second time in 2024 and a minute later Hull KR were in again when Jai Whitbread took a high kick from Lewis and broke the tackle before sliding over and grounding. Lewis converted in off the far post for 42-6.
This was the seventh consecutive win for Hull KR as they served notice to the rest of the competition that they intend to hold on to the top spot and win the minor premiership for the first time, finishing at the top of the table for the first time in forty years. It was a tremendous performance from the visitors as they denied Saints any points for sixty-five minutes. Saints slip closer to Leeds and Leigh and the possibility of dropping out of the play off places for the first time since the start of Super League.
St Helens: Robertson, Makinson (SO on 74), Blake (SB on 7), Vaughan, Ritson, Lomax, Whitby, Delaney, Mbye, Lees, Whitley (T, 1/1 G), Mata’utia, Batchelor. Subs: Royle, Burns, Paasi, Stephens. 18th Man: Davies.
Hull KR: Evalds, Burgess (4T), Hiku, Broadbent, Hall, May (T), Lewis (T, 6/8 G), Sue, Parcell, Whitbread (T), Hadley, Batchelor, Minchella. Subs: Litten, Luckley, Storton, Tanginoa (T). 18th Man: Brown.
Half-Time: 0-26.
Full-Time: 6-42.
Score Progression: 0-4, (SB), 0-8, 0-10, 0-14, 0-16, 0-20, 0-24, 0-26 : HT: 0-30, 0-32, 4-32, 6-32, 6-36, (SO), 6-40, 6-42 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: KR.
Referee: Chris Kendall.
