Super League: Wakefield hammer Hull KR 38-10 to leave Robins in real peril at bottom

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Wakefield's Danny Brough kicked five of his eight attempts at goal at Craven ParkImage source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Wakefield's Danny Brough kicked five of his eight attempts at goal at Craven Park

Betfred Super League

Hull KR (10) 10

Tries: Crooks, Garbutt Goals: Shaw

Wakefield (14) 38

Tries: Miller 2, Hampshire 2, Jones-Bishop, Wood, Tupoue Goals: Brough 5

Wakefield Trinity ran in seven tries to hammer Super League bottom-four rivals Hull Kingston Rovers at Craven Park and ease their own relegation fears.

London Broncos' shock win against Catalans Dragons on Saturday had left all the bottom four level on 18 points.

But, coupled with Huddersfield's home defeat by Castleford, Wakefield have climbed two points clear of danger.

Jacob Miller (2), Ryan Hampshire (2), Ben Jones-Bishop, Kyle Wood and Bill Tupou got the Trinity tries.

Against a Wakefield side inspired by on-loan Wigan full-back Morgan Escare, Rovers managed just two tries.

Both late on in the first half from Ben Crooks and Mitch Garbutt as, despite a reshuffle following the loss of full-back Adam Quinlan, the Robins came from 14-0 down after 19 minutes to trail just 14-10 at the break.

But Trinity ran in four more second-half tries, two of them for winger Hampshire in rapid succession at the end, as Chris Chester's men won for only the second time in 12 games to draw level with Leeds on 20 points.

Wakefield now face two tough games against two of the main top five contenders Wigan and Warrington, before facing bottom club London Broncos on the last day.

Rovers also host the Broncos the previous weekend - and how the Londoners fare in those those two final away fixtures may hold the key to the whole relegation equation.

But the Robins are likely to be without Australian fullback Quinlan for their final three games after Robins coach Tony Smith revealed that he had suffered an abductor muscle injury.

The run-in

  • Thurs 29 Aug: Salford v Warrington

  • Fri 30 Aug: St Helens v Castleford, Hull FC v Huddersfield

  • Sat 31 Aug Catalans v Hull KR

  • Sun 1: Sept London Broncos v Leeds, Wakefield v Wigan

  • Fri 6: Sept Leeds v Salford, St Helens v Huddersfield, Warrington v Wakefield, Wigan v Catalans

  • Sun 8 Sept Hull KR v London Broncos, Castleford v Hull

  • Fri 13 Sept Huddersfield v Catalans, Leeds v Warrington, Hull St Helens, Wigan v Castleford

  • Sun 15 Sept: Wakefield v London Broncos, Salford v Hull KR

Hull KR coach Tony Smith:

"It's an abductor issue for Adam Quinlan. If he's torn it off the bone, that sounds bad but apparently that's the better of the two injuries. If he hasn't torn it off the bone and just torn it slightly and it's still attached, that will be him done for the rest of the season.

"He's having that scanned on Monday morning so we'll know a lot more then. If it's the best scenario he'll probably miss a few games anyway, one or two.

"Some of them were trying too hard. But I'm not going to hang them out to dry. They'll learn from it. Nothing has much changed. We wouldn't have been out of the woods. Nor are Wakey - they're not done and dusted.

"If my team had won it would have been the same - business as usual. Get on with it and go and try and perform for the next match. If you perform it gives you a chance to win."

Wakefield coach Chris Chester:

"It's in our hands. We just have to make sure we keep performing like we did. It's probably one of the best 80-minute performances we've had as a group for a hell of a long time. We had a lot of defending to do on the try line and we kept coming up with the right answers.

"We completed 91% in the second half and obviously won the score count 24-0 in the second half. Just to keep them scoreless in that second half. The desperation we showed on the try line showed that we knew how important this game was. We were probably the more desperate of the two teams.

"I got a bit emotional with the boys in the dressing room. It's a huge, huge relief. Coaching can be a lonely place sometimes, and it's certainly been a lonely place these eight, nine weeks.

"It's been a really challenging period, probably the most challenging period in my career as a coach. But that performance was first-class from my boys, I'm really proud of them."

Hull KR: Quinlan; Shaw, Crooks, Linnett, Hall; McGuire, Drinkwater; Masoe, Atkin, Murray, Tomkins, Hauraki, Hadley.

Interchanges: Garbutt, Trout, Litten, Mulhern.

Wakefield: Escare; Jones-Bishop, Lyne, Tupou, Hampshire; Miller, Brough; Kopczak, Wood, England, Batchelor, Kirmond, Tanginoa.

Interchanges: Randell, Green, Annakin, Tangata.

Referee: Robert Hicks (RFL).

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