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Huddersfield Giants 22 Hull KR 6: Giants keep in touch at the top after emphatic victory
HULL KR lost ground on engage Super League leaders St Helens after conceding the double to fellow surprise packet Huddersfield Giants.
Front-row duo Scott Moore and Eorl Crabtree both celebrated their England call-ups by orchestrating a superb win for the Giants, who moved to within a point of the Robins with an emphatic victory.
Moore, who is on a season-long loan from St Helens, grabbed the opening try and fellow loanee Lee Mossop also scored on an impressive home debut as Huddersfield maintained their top-four challenge.
Scrum-half Luke Robinson and centre Paul Whatuira added tries as the Giants picked up from where they left off in their nailbiting Challenge Cup win over Castleford.
Hull KR, who had Ben Cockayne back for his first appearance since April after a conviction for assault, looked to be suffering from a hangover from their heart-breaking cup defeat by Warrington as they struggled to cope with the enthusiasm and inventive play of their opponents.
Without captain Brett Hodgson and centre Jamahl Lolesi, the Giants had more than adequate replacements in Leroy Cudjoe and Michael Lawrence, while half-backs Robinson and Kevin Brown caused all sorts of problems for the Robins with their clever playmaking skills.
Huddersfield went ahead on 11 minutes when Moore burrowed his way through a melee of defenders from dummy half.
A dart through the heart of the Rovers' defence by second row Danny Kirmond then established the position for Brown to place a grubber kick which caused confusion for the visitors.
Whatuira took advantage of a wicked bounce to re-gather and combine with Stephen Wild to get the dancing Robinson over for a second try.
Cudjoe added both conversions to put his side 12-0 up but Rovers hit back midway through the first half when makeshift stand-off Ben Galea, deputising for the injured Paul Cooke, got centre Kris Welham through a gap in the Huddersfield defence for a try.
They ought to have scored again on 31 minutes when left winger Peter Fox won the race to Michael Dobson's kick to the corner but video referee Thierry Alibert disallowed the 'try' after spotting a knock-on.
Huddersfield were good value for their lead, however, and they added to it eight minutes before the break when Mossop got into his stride after taking Moore's pass and went round full-back Shaun Briscoe to touch down.
Hull KR clearly benefited from coach Justin Morgan's half-time pep talk for they made the brighter start to the second half and a break by hooker Ben Fisher almost produced a try for Welham.
But they continued to make more errors than their opponents, who still managed to look the more dangerous team with less possession.
Generally defences were on top throughout the third quarter but Huddersfield put the seal on a convincing win when Moore's pass from dummy half got Whatuira over for a fourth try 11 minutes from the end.
Huddersfield Giants: Cudjoe, Aspinwall, Lawrence, Whaturia, D. Hodgson, Brown, Robinson, Mason, Moore, P. Jackson, Raleigh, Kirmond, Wild. Substitutes: Lunt, Mossop, Crabtree, Faiumu.
Hull K R: Briscoe, Fox, Welham, Cockayne, Colbon, Galea, Dobson, Fozzard, Fitzhenry, Aizue, Newton, Walker, Murrell. Substitutes: Netherton, Gene, Mills, Fisher.
Referee: R Silverwood (Dewsbury).
Hull KR scrum-half Michael Dobson has pledged his future to the club by signing a two-year contract extension that will keep him at Craven Park until the end of the 2012 season.
The Australian was already contracted to the end of next season, but Rovers have acted to secure his long-term services amid speculation linking him with other clubs.
The 23-year-old former Canberra Raiders player, who also had spells in Super League with Catalans Dragons and Wigan, has made a huge impact at the Robins, who are currently second in the table.
Coach Justin Morgan said: "It's great news for the team that Michael has extended his contract.
"He is a key member of the side and he leads our team around the park very well. He is still learning and I'm looking forward to working with him over the coming season."
Dobson said: "I'm really settled at this club."
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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