Hull KR 16 Bradford Bulls 0: Cummins sees Bulls’ injury list get worse

Hull KR will argue that after eking out, in wretched conditions, a grimy victory against Bradford Bulls yesterday, their first since defeating Leeds Rhinos last August.

Craig Sandercock’s side, whose only solitary previous point of this season came from a dramatic draw at Huddersfield, avoided a fourth successive loss with their triumph largely coming down to some timely inventions from industrious stand-off Travis Burns.

The Australian was involved in all three of their tries, setting up efforts for Omari Caro and Kevin Larroyer with astute use of his boot, making a classy break to furnish his half-back partner Kris Keating as well and also adding two conversions.

Powerful props Justin Poore and Mick Weyman – just the sort of personnel the depleted visitors so desperately require – had set the lead early on and the East Yorkshire club will host Wakefield Trinity here next Sunday with renewed belief that their season can finally get kick-started.

For desperate Bradford, however, the misery just goes on.

Stuck in administration, they had hoped to have new owners by now but that saga looks certain to drag on into a fifth week, the London-based consortium led by Richard Lamb apparently still needing to show proof of funding to the RFL.

Regardless, it needs to be sorted fast to give embattled coach Francis Cummins and his threadbare squad – still on minus two points – a greater chance of competing or relegation will loom.

On the field, their misfortune continued with another error-ridden display, admittedly hampered massively by the loss of captain Matt Diskin to a calf injury inside 10 minutes and prop Adam Sidlow with a suspected broken leg not long after.

That said, and for all their heroic goalline defence, they certainly did not help themselves, frustratingly losing possession on the first tackle on at least three occasions.

The most maddening was in the 55th minute when, somehow still only 12-0 down despite a welter of possession against them, Adrian Purtell watched a Hull KR kick run dead, raced back for a quick 20m restart only to then see Liam Sutcliffe drop his simple pass as they strived to add some pace to proceedings.

It summed up Bradford’s afternoon; plenty of intent and effort but just too little control.

Soon after, when Sam Wood, the young Bradford winger who endured a horrid time, messed up a basic kick, the hosts were gifted yet more quality possession.

This time, Burns slid through a grubber that Larroyer lapped up, the second-row’s second try since joining from Catalan, and, though the conversion was missed, the game was finished.

Bradford had shown real resolve to hold both Liam Salter and Mick Weyman (twice) up over the line – and Ben Cockayne later on – but it was obvious they would eventually wilt given the amount of defending forced on themselves.

Rovers, who had Jamie Langley working hard in his first game against his former club, had started more brightly, clearly realising opponents who had lost heavily in their last two matches may be low on confidence.

On the back of their front-row’s purposeful running and with Cockayne – at full-back for Greg Eden who failed a late fitness test after breaking a toe against Wigan – offering plenty of enterprise in the line they established a 12-0 lead inside 18 minutes courtesy of those converted scores from Caro and Keating.

However, they lost their way a little too in the conditions and, allied to Bradford’s defiant efforts – James Donaldson produced a stunning try-saving tackle on Kris Welham – they were thwarted further until Larroyer’s clincher on the hour mark.

Sandercock, though, was obviously pleased to see his men finally prosper whatever the manner.

“It was good to get a win and keep a side scoreless too,” said the Australian, who hopes Eden will return next week.

“That was probably the most pleasing part. We’ve not done that in the last couple of years and the boys can be proud of that.

“Poore and Weyman were very good and got us going forward well as did Adam Walker and James Green.

“We got held up four or five times over the line and you can usually count on one of those being scored.

“Conditions weren’t great and neither was some of our execution but overall I we think dominated that game.

“Every week we’re making slow and steady improvement and next week we’ll need to play a little bit better as well.”

Hull KR: Cockayne; Gardner, Salter, Welham, Caro; Burns, Keating; Poore, J Hodgson, Weyman, Larroyer, Costigan, Langley. Substitutes: A Walker, Cox, Green, Carlile.

Bradford: Kearney; Kear, Henry, Purtell, Wood; Sutcliffe, Gale; Manuokafoa, Diskin, Sidlow, Olbison, Addy, Donaldson. Substitutes: Blythe, O’Brien, Bridge, Mullally.

Referee: R Hicks (Oldham).