Hull KR 34 Huddersfield Giants 0: Rovers redefine winning ugly to stay on track ahead of Wembley

A casual observer tuning into Saturday's game at Craven Park might have sensed a shock result when Huddersfield Giants trailed Hull KR by just four points approaching the final quarter.

But Huddersfield's defensive efforts caught up with them during a late blitz that highlighted the best of the Robins.

Even when they are not particularly easy on the eye, Rovers are mastering the largely unappreciated side of the game.

A fifth shutout of the year – this time against the struggling Giants – was a nod to their ability to grind teams down and leave them gasping for air.

This was not nearly as emphatic as KR's 50-4 victory at the John Smith's Stadium in March but even when they win ugly, they can score six tries.

The final-quarter flurry took the wind out of Huddersfield's sails and served as a reality check following their Magic Weekend win over Hull FC.

The outcome may have been different had Jared Waerea-Hargreaves received his marching orders for a hefty challenge that left Matty English with blood pouring from his face.

With two Super League games to go before the Robins can turn their attention to the Challenge Cup final, Waerea-Hargreaves’ Wembley availability does not appear to be under threat.

But the incident underlined the potential pitfalls that lie between now and the decider against Warrington Wolves on June 7.

Willie Peters rested Peta Hiku and Jesse Sue with that date in mind and got the desired result, the victory restoring KR's two-point lead over Wigan Warriors at the top of Super League.

However, at the end of a week dominated by talk of Wembley and Las Vegas, the off-colour hosts had to work for it.

Joe Burgess scored the only try of an instantly forgettable first half, one punctuated by interminable delays.

In perfect conditions, it was a case of Rovers dropping down to Huddersfield's level rather than the Giants saving their best for the trip to Craven Park, even accounting for their stoic work in defence.

The Robins were camped on Huddersfield's line for much of the opening 40 minutes but struggled to find a chink in the armour, in part due to their own shortcomings.

Rovers were perhaps guilty of complacency after seeing Burgess cruise over in the 14th minute.

Oliver Wilson lost the ball as Huddersfield tried to break free from KR's clutches and the prop was punished.

Waerea-Hargreaves left the Giants scrambling with an offload, giving the Robins the time they needed to send the ball through the hands and present Burgess with a gift out wide.

That appeared to be the signal for the floodgates to open but, buoyed by their first win of the year, the Giants held firm for long periods.

One scare aside when Mikey Lewis had a try ruled out for obstruction, Huddersfield were not unduly troubled by their high-flying rivals in a stop-start first half.

As poor as they were with the ball, the Robins were as unrelenting as ever without it.

It took Huddersfield 18 minutes to leave their own half and when they did, they failed to threaten.

If anything summed up the Giants' attacking display, it was the sight of former KR prop George King spilling the ball in a promising position.

Huddersfield had a flicker of hope during a long delay to check Waerea-Hargreaves' challenge on English but the red card did not appear and they failed to take advantage of the prop's temporary absence, Jacob Gagai coming closest when he was crowded out in the corner.

Although Rovers went into half-time with a slender 4-0 lead, the damage had been done.

Huddersfield's tank was running on empty and they could only keep up for so long.

George Flanagan Jr saved the day when Lewis threatened to put Elliot Minchella under the posts but the Robins were showing more purpose in attack and eventually broke the Giants' resistance.

Lewis forced his way over after Burgess was denied before Tyrone May jinked through a tired defence to leave Huddersfield in damage limitation mode.

The Giants were powerless to stop the onslaught as the scoreline blew out.

Burgess assumed the role of half-back to put Kelepi Tanginoa over and scored another himself to punish an error by King, who had a debut to forget.

In between, Jack Brown opened his KR account with a try that was celebrated with the vigour of a team that are not likely to get bored of winning anytime soon.

Hull KR: Mourgue, Davies, Booth, Broadbent, Burgess, Lewis, May, Hadley, Litten, Waerea-Hargreaves, Whitbread, Batchelor, Minchella. Substitutes: Luckley, Tanginoa, Brown, Leyland.

Tries: Burgess (14, 77), Lewis (58), May (63), Tanginoa (65), Brown (73)

Goals: Mourgue 5/6

Sin bin: Waerea-Hargreaves (24)

Huddersfield Giants: Flanagan Jr, Gagai, Halsall, Milne, Swift, Rush, Clune, Wilson, Woolford, Greenwood, Hewitt, Bibby, Cudjoe. Substitutes: Rushton, Golding, English, King.

Referee: Tom Grant.