Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur said his side’s crushing 34-8 win over defending Betfred Super League champions Hull KR at Headingley was a fitting tribute to the late Rob Burrow on the club’s annual MND Awareness Day.

The stadium’s biggest Super League crowd for six years – 18,456 – saw a raucous performance from the Rhinos with Maika Sivo scoring two of his side’s five tries and Jake Connor dazzling with 18 points as they tightened their grip on top spot.

“We spoke earlier in the week about being brave for Rob and his family, and I thought we were extremely brave tonight,” said Arthur.

“We really dominated in collision – they got stuck into it and we withstood it and pushed through the other side. We did a couple of dumb things at times but it makes us exciting to watch and hard to defend against.

“I still think there’s plenty left to improve, but we’ve got to be happy with that. We rolled our sleeves up and made tough choices about our effort and physicality. It was important tonight that we reflected Rob and his family because they’re brave people.”

Arthur singled out Connor for special praise, after last year’s Man of Steel continued his stunning form with a try of his own and seven out of seven with the boot.

Arthur added: “Jake is probably our most calm player at the moment. With the emotion of the first 40 minutes some people lost their heads a bit at times, but he can still walk past the crowd and give them a bit of stick and get on with the job. I’m not sure he could have done that 12 months ago.”

Hull KR head coach Willie Peters refused to rule out retaining the League Leaders’ Shield after a loss that leaves them six points adrift, but admitted the Rhinos are now in pole position.

Leeds fans show their love for Rob Burrow ahead of the game against Hull KR. (Photo: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)

placeholder image — Leeds fans show their love for Rob Burrow ahead of the game against Hull KR. (Photo: Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)

“If the maths say you can get top spot I’ll never say we’re out of it but we just have to worry about next week,” said Peters. “I think Leeds aren’t going to lose too many more games. They’re in prime position for the League Leaders’ (Shield).”

Peters conceded that careless errors cost his side dear, but they also suffered a significant early setback when Tom Amone and Dean Hadley were forced off after clashing heads, with Hadley not able to return following assessment.

“You try to have plans in place and you train for it but it’s difficult when you have two (off) straight away,” added Peters.

“I was happy with the way we started, with our intent and physicality, and I was really proud of that for large parts. We were playing the best team in the competition at the moment and for large parts we held our own.”