Robins thrashed again
Ade Gardner crossed four times as St Helens thrashed Hull KR for the second time in three games on Friday, this time winning 68-12.
Last Updated: 21/05/10 11:28pm
For the second time in three games, St Helens proved much too strong a proposition for Hull KR as they eased to a crushing 68-12 victory at Knowsley Road on Friday evening.
Saints scored 13 times in a match that was effectively over at half time. Ade Gardner starred for the home side with four tries, with Tony Puletua, Chris Flannery, Jacob Emmitt, Scott Moore, Kyle Eastmond, Matt Gidley, Jonny Lomax, James Roby and Andrew Dixon all touching down.
Justin Morgan's side were a competitive prospect for the first 15 minutes or so and indeed briefly held the lead, but there proved no way back for the visitors following a burst of three tries in 10 minutes during the first half.
The Robins scored early through Kris Welham but lost composure and were guilty of conceding far too many penalties - they had two players in the sin-bin simultaneously - as Saints started to turn the screw.
Drubbing
Morgan promised a performance better than the 54-0 defeat at Murrayfield but thoughts were of another drubbing in the fourth minute when, following a forward pass from Hull KR hooker Josh Hodgson, Gardner found himself in plenty of space on the right to cross.
Eastmond failed to convert though and the next few minutes were all about the visitors as they pounded the Saints line.
Jason Netherton was held up over the line by Lomax but the stand-in full-back was slightly out of position on the next set, which ended with Welham pouncing on Michael Dobson's kick.
Dobson also kicked the visitors into the lead and they would have gone further ahead in the 14th minute had Clint Newton's pass found Peter Fox on the overlap.
Both were involved as another chance was spurned shortly afterwards - Newton this time guilty of pushing Ben Foster in the back when running on to Dobson's kick - but Saints soon regrouped.
They retook the lead with a 19th minute try that was almost a carbon copy of the first - Hodgson this time penalised for being offside before the home side again found Gardner wide on the right.
Eastmond this time found the target and did the same two minutes later when Saints scored their third, which was a simple one for Puletua after Fox had floundered when faced with Leon Pryce's high kick.
Flannery teed Puletua up for that try and he had only six minutes to wait before getting his own name on the scoresheet, Saints having won a penalty close to their opponents' line after a high tackle on Roby.
Ominous
Eastmond this time missed but with 10 minutes left in the first half, his side's momentum was proving ominous. But Hull KR were doing themselves no favours either and their problems deepened when first Ben Cockayne and then Ben Fisher were sin-binned - respectively for an off the ball tackle and a high tackle.
Saints managed one try in their absence when Emmitt crossed for his first in Super League and Moore touched down another at the start of the second half shortly after Cockayne had rejoined the fray.
Eastmond converted both and with Saints now 26 points to the good and flying, the traffic became one way with over half an hour still to play.
Gardener soon completed his hat-trick and went on to add another - the winger almost scoring a fifth before being substituted - with Eastmond bounding through to score a superb individual effort and Gidley, Lomax, Roby and Dixon increasing the visitors' embarrassment, with Newton pulling one back.
Eastmond converted a total of five times, with Lomax adding a further three after he took over kicking duties in the closing stages.
The victory takes St Helens past Warrington - who play Huddersfield on Sunday - and up to second in the Super League table, two points behind leaders Wigan.
