Leigh Leopards 0 Hull KR 24: Robins show champion qualities to respond with statement win

Hull KR were on the canvas after suffering a hammer blow at Wigan Warriors but quickly dusted themselves down as all good teams do.

Leigh Leopards – the form side in Super League after winning nine of their previous 10 games – simply had no answer to the dominant Robins as their own play-off hopes took a blow.

The result kept Leeds Rhinos' top-six chances alive but Brad Arthur's men will not get close to Rovers next week on the evidence of Friday's matches.

As Leeds went down to a humbling defeat at Wigan Warriors, KR reasserted their title credentials with a shutout of the free-scoring Leopards.

The upshot is that the Robins are on the brink of a top-two finish and have taken the battle for the League Leaders' Shield down to the final round.

Wigan remain the team to beat – as they proved in the 38-0 rout of the Rhinos – but Rovers could yet have an underdog story to rival Rocky Balboa as Old Trafford comes into view.

The unfancied Robins have shown they can beat the best of the rest, adding the Leopards to the recent scalps of Warrington Wolves and St Helens on the road.

Willie Peters' men had to overcome adversity before and during the clash at Leigh Sports Village, with Niall Evalds' first-half concussion – which rules him out of the Leeds game – compounding the loss of Jai Whitbread and Kelepi Tanginoa.

However, Rovers adapted to control the contest with man of the moment and stand-in full-back Mikey Lewis scoring two tries in another hugely influential display.

The victory was built on effort and owed to perfect planning from Peters and his coaching staff.

In a first half of fine margins, KR's tactic of putting Tyrone May up against Matt Moylan in aerial duels proved to be a masterstroke.

Rovers have been the dominant team in this fixture since losing to Leigh in heartbreaking fashion in last year's Challenge Cup final and they were quickly into their stride on Friday.

The Robins won the early arm wrestle – just as they did at Wigan seven days earlier – but were indebted to a last-ditch effort by Ryan Hall to deny Umyla Hanley from a high kick.

Another desperate tackle by Elliot Minchella snuffed out the danger following a dab through by Moylan before Rovers showed their clinical edge.

The visitors had no opportunities to speak of close to the Leigh line in the opening 40 minutes but followed Peters' game plan to perfection to find a way through.

May produced the extra effort required in big games to sprint through and beat Moylan to Lewis' high kick, with Hall on hand to collect the pat back and extend his Super League tryscoring record.

However, from the restart, Sam Luckley made a play-the-ball error and Rovers lost Evalds as a consequence in the next defensive set following a clash of heads with Tom Amone, forcing a reshuffle that saw Lewis move to full-back and Jez Litten come on in the halves.

Litten was straight into the action with a flying tackle that forced the ball loose and allowed Hall to relieve growing pressure.

The Robins were rewarded for their defensive resilience thanks to another inspired play by May, the half-back racing through to outjump Moylan and give Lewis the opportunity to find a way to the line in typically determined fashion.

Lewis improved his 18th try of 2024 from the tee to give KR a 10-0 lead in a repeat of their last visit to the Borough of Wigan.

The key difference a week on was that Rovers were squeaky clean with the game on the line to stay on the right side of referee Chris Kendall.

The Robins celebrated each Leigh mistake with vigour and extended their lead early in the second half when Jesse Sue powered his way over from close range.

With two precious competition points in the bag, Rovers had a licence to enjoy themselves.

The Robins showed their ingenuity for their fourth try, May somehow getting a pass to Matty Storton on the last before the forward showed his strength and offloading ability to put Lewis over next to the posts.

KR's hopes of boosting their points difference were hit when Minchella was sin-binned for a high tackle on Moylan on a kick chase, although the visitors were given the penalty for an earlier offence.

Lewis added another two points to his tally and the Robins dug deep to survive the 10-minute period with 12 men and see out a statement victory in their quest for a first Super League title.

Leigh Leopards: Moylan, Charnley, Leutele, Hanley, McIntosh, O'Brien, Lam, Amone, Davis, Mulhern, O'Donnell, Halton, Astia. Substitutes: Trout, Pene, Hughes, Dwyer.

Hull KR: Evalds, Burgess, Hiku, Gildart, Hall, May, Lewis, Sue, Parcell, Hadley, Storton, Batchelor, Minchella. Substitutes: Opacic, Litten, Luckley, Brown.

Tries: Hall (21), Lewis (29, 60), Sue (49)

Sin bin: Minchella (63)

Goals: Lewis 4/5

Substitutes: Chris Kendall.