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Rovers revel on Travis Burns' night and keep pace with top eight

Hull KR 26 Castleford 22

Dave Hadfield
Monday 25 March 2013 01:00 GMT
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Hull Kingston Rovers maintained their push for a top-eight place despite twice inviting gutsy Castleford back into the match.

In a game littered with mistakes – not least from the Robins’ highly rated full-back, Greg Eden – the nous of Travis Burns proved crucial.

“There were individual errors,” said Rovers’ coach, Craig Sandercock. “But for the players to perform as well as they did was a credit to them.”

It was Burns who got the Robins off to a flying start by reclaiming his own deflected kick and touching down for the club for the first time. He then added the goal before Kris Welham gathered a kick to claim the second.

Playing into an icy gale, the Tigers were getting nowhere until David Hodgson’s blunder presented Kirk Dixon with a try. But they soon undermined their good work by conceding a try in the corner from David Hodgson. Eden’s pair of errors though gave the Tigers an unlikely half-time lead. He lost the ball in a tackle for Rangi Chase’s disguised short pass to send in Jake Webster. Then a spilled kick conceded the possession for Chase to set up Richard Owen.

After the break, Josh Hodgson put Rovers back in front from close range before Craig Hall claimed their fifth try. Even though Eden’s nightmare continued when he allowed a high kick to bounce and Daryl Clark to score, Rovers held out.

“We aren’t far from a win,” said the Castleford coach, Ian Millward. “But our kicking game in the second half was disgraceful.”

Hull K R: Eden; Brown, Welham, Hall, D Hodgson; Burns, Dobson; Paea, J Hodgson, Tuimavave, Cox, Paterson, Griffin. Substitutes used: Carlile, Horne, Mika, Beaumont.

Castleford: Owen; Thompson, Shenton, Webster, Dixon; Chase, Tansey; Mason, Milner, Huby, Gilmour, Hauraki, Holmes. Substitutes used: Ellis, Clark, Millington, Massey.

Referee: J Child (Dewsbury)

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