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Hull KR 36 St Helens 36: Saints snatch late draw to leave Sandercock waiting for victory
Hull KR's Kris Welham tries some fancy footwork as he is tackled by St Helen's Michael Shenton at Craven Park yesterday. Picture: Terry Carrott.
ST HELENS’ James Foster converted a penalty after the final hooter to deny gutted Hull KR their first Super League win under new head coach Craig Sandercock.
There had been much debate at the end of a dramatic match whether play should still have even been going on when Rovers’ prop Mickey Paea infringed with a high tackle.
Earlier, the Craven Park clock had rightly stopped as Hull KR, clinging on at 36-34, ambled to a scrum but it never restarted again, incensing the home crowd who had been nervously counting down each second to what would have been a remarkable win.
However, it seemed the foul had come within regulated time and there was no complaint from Sandercock.
He was more displeased that his injury-hit side – missing their three best players in Michael Dobson, Blake Green and Ben Galea – had battled so hard to get into a winning position only to switch off when it mattered most.
“Our effort was outstanding again and, as usual, we had more injuries during the game, too,” he said, Rovers losing both hookers, the outstanding Lincoln Withers (abductor) and Josh Hodgson (ankle).
“But the boys will look back on those last five minutes and think they could – and should – have done a lot better.
“They paid the penalty and it’s extremely disappointing.
“I thought our attack was good – we scored some good tries – but if we defend like we did (yesterday) against Warrington next week then they’ll put 60, 70 or maybe even 80 points on us.”
Rovers looked in real danger of being blown away in that fashion yesterday after the ruthless visitors surged into a 14-0 inside just 13 minutes.
Jonny Lomax’s smart pass gave Sia Soliola just enough space to stretch over out wide, before Rovers full-back Shannon McDonnell inexplicably conceded a penalty for dissent while in possession 30 metres from his own line.
Lomax and Paul Wellens combined before Michael Shenton – the England centre playing his first game since dislocating an elbow in last October’s Grand Final – was ushered through far too easily.
McDonnell’s misery continued when he was rounded effortlessly by James Roby for Saints’ third although the dynamic hooker had made the most of some awful ruck defence to initially break through.
Foster could only convert the last of that trio, however, meaning their lead was not as damaging as perhaps it should have been.
And so it was that Rovers responded, with three tries of their own.
Dave Hodgson got the first on 16 minutes after a typically tricky kick by Withers was threaded through,
Craig Hall added the touchline conversion and soon after, with Wellens penalised for holding down the darting Withers, they were in again.
Withers’s flat pass encouraged Constantine Mika to charge over from close range, the robust second row signing from Newcastle Knights leaving Chris Flannery, among others, flailing with his immense power.
When unmarked Saints winger Ade Gardner spilled an inviting pass – no one was in front of him for the full 50 metres down his right wing – Rovers not only breathed a sigh of relief but made the most of the ex-Great Britain international’s error.
On only the first tackle after the resulting scrum, Hall, spotting the space, showed both bold confidence and invention to chip over a kick from halfway. A surging McDonnell beat everyone to the ball, including Wellens, and Hall’s third conversion put them surreally 18-14 ahead.
The three tries had come inside just seven minutes, the same period it had taken their opponents to amass their treble, but there was yet more to come,
Hall squandered possession under a heavy hit from Soliola and, soon after, Lance Hohiha’s cleverly disguised pass put Flannery through a hole, Foster improving.
However, Wellens dropped the restart and Withers grubbered through for Hodgson to pounce, Hall making it 24-20 at the break.
Francis Meli got on the end of a slick handling movement in the 46th minute to level for Saints, Foster wide with his kick, and then Wellens stretched over after some more off-loading left strained Rovers bedraggled.
This time Foster increased their lead but a deft pass from Hall – who ably took up the creative duties with Dobson out for a month – sent Mika storming through for his third try in as many games.
Hall’s conversion levelled the game in the 52nd minute before Scott Murrell and Graeme Horne combined smartly for Kris Welham to cross in the 63rd.
Typically, though, Saints would not lie down as Meli got his second seven minutes from the end.
When Foster’s touchline conversion attempt struck the upright, elated Rovers supporters thought their side would hold on for victory. However, some poor decision-making and lax defence in those crucial final minutes allowed Saints one last sniff and this time Foster did not miss.
dave.craven@ypn.co.uk
Hull KR: McDonnell; Lovegrove, Welham, Webster, Hodgson; Hall, Murrell; Clinton, Withers, Paea; Mika, Horne, Watts. Substitutes: Wheeldon, Taylor, Hodgson, Cox.
St Helens: Wellens; Gardner, Shenton, Meli, Foster; Hohaia, Lomax; Laffranchi, Roby, Puletua, Flannery, Soliola, Wilkin. Substitutes: Perry, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Dixon, Wheeler.
Referee: B Thaler (Wakefield)
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