Hull KR 40-16 Leigh: Ryan Hall hat-trick heaps more misery on the Centurions
Ryan Hall scored a hat-trick of tries and Kane Linnett crossed twice as Hull KR claimed their fourth Super League win of the season with a 40-16 victory over bottom club Leigh.
Tony Smith’s side scored eight tries to the Centurions’ three and Jordan Abdull kicked four conversions as Rovers welcomed back nearly 4,000 fans to Craven Park.
Rovers led 18-12 at the break as Abdull struggled with his kicking, but they had too much for John Duffy’s side in the second half.
Linnett opened the scoring for the home side with three minutes gone following some sustained pressure as he exploited a hole in the visitors’ defence after Abdull had kept the move alive but his first kick then came back off the left post.
Adam Quinlan was held up on the fifth tackle but a second Rovers try soon followed as Hall had an easy touch down as a grubber kick from Abdull ran loose to the corner.
But Leigh struck back as Ben Hellewell took an offload and raced clear before dummying to go over, and Ben Reynolds converted to make it 8-6 with eight minutes gone.
Reynolds dropped the kick-off and Rovers made him pay with try number three in the right corner from Greg Minikin, but Abdull missed a third conversion.
Lewis Tierney and Ryan Brierley combined with the latter crossing as Leigh hit back again, with Reynolds’ kick squaring the game at 12-12 with 15 minutes on the clock.
Rovers got their fourth try after Matt Parcell stripped the ball and Abdull set up Linnett for his second score, and this time Abdull converted with 23 minutes gone.
A succession of unforced errors as players struggled in the heat saw the score remain 18-12 to Rovers at the break.
Leigh started the second half strongly but Rovers were able to keep them at bay and when the visitors were penalised twice in quick succession, Rovers grabbed try number five.
Another grubber kick from Abdull saw the ball skim the post and Rowan Milnes gathered before scoring his first Super League try. Abdull’s extras made it 24-12.
Leigh’s next two periods of possession broke down as Matty Storton and then Brad Takairangi stripped the ball close to their own line.
Following that, Rovers scored try number six through Dean Hadley, who stretched from the tackle to touch down after 65 minutes and put his side 30-12 ahead.
As Leigh continued to wilt in the sun, Hall had a simple score in the left corner from Hadley’s pass and Abdull’s kick made it 36-12.
Hellewell stretched to score his second and Leigh’s third try and their first score of the second half with 10 minutes left, before Hall secured the treble after finishing off in the corner following Milnes’ excellent flick pass.
Hull KR: Quinlan, Minikin, Linnett, Kenny-Dowall, Hall, Milnes, Abdull, Lawler, Parcell, Maher, Takairangi, Johnson, Hadley. Subs: Sims, Litten, Storton, Keinhorst.
Tries: Linnett 2, Hall 3, Minikin, Milnes, Hadley. Goals: Abdull 4
Leigh: Brierley, Tierney, Sa’u, Thornley, Gelling, Ellis, Reynolds, Ioane, Hood, McCarthy, Hellewell, Thompson, Bell. Subs:Wildie, Gee, Elliot, Peats.
Tries: Hellewell 2, Brierley. Goals: Reynolds 2
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