Sheens warns his Hull KR side to stop '˜clock-watching'

They made it three wins from three in the competition when beating London Broncos 35-30 yesterday and are now joint-top of the table alongside Super League Warrington Wolves.

However, they were 27-8 up early in the second period and should have finished far more comfortably.

“We were guilty of watching the clock too much in the second half and that’s something we spoke about in the changing room at full-time,” said Sheens, as Rovers continued their quest for promotion.

“It’s happened a few times now and it’s something we need to overcome because we let London back into the game and I was disappointed with how we played in the second half.

“I’m not going to be too critical of the players, though, because there are some tired bodies in there, both physically and mentally.

“We’ve had three tough games physically, but mentally there’s been a lot of expectation on the club to win and that takes its toll.”

Sheens paid special mention to Danny Addy, the Scotland star who produced a fine display in the back-row despite almost being ruled out beforehand.

“Danny Addy played 80 minutes but wasn’t going to play,” he said.

“His knee blew up with an infection and he didn’t train over the back-half of the week. Without antibiotics he wouldn’t have played, and I still only made the decision this morning.

“In the circumstances, I thought he was outstanding and Lee Jewitt really stepped up, too, with Nick Scruton being out with a slight injury.”

London coach Andrew Henderson saw his side come close at the end with Elliot Kear’s try in the 79th minute giving them hope. However, Jarrod Sammut took an eternity to take his conversion attempt.

Asked why Sammut did not give up the kick in order to quickly restart, Henderson said: “We did say either do that or get on with it sharpish.

“But I don’t think he realised the clock was ticking down.”