Round 27
Hull KR 25 d. Huddersfield Giants 24

2007 engage English Super League Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: United Kingdom > National > First Grade Competition: engage English Super League

Hull KR end Super League season on a high
Mon September 17, 2007
Source: www.superleague.co.uk

Paul Cooke landed a late drop goal to wrap up Hull KR's impressive first engage Super League campaign with a thrilling 25-24 win over Huddersfield Giants.

The former Hull star, who created some of the season's biggest headlines by moving across the city, settled a dramatic Craven Park encounter with just six minutes remaining.

A quickfire double from Rod Jenson midway through the second half looked to have won it for Huddersfield but Ben Fisher replied with two rapid tries of his own.

Despite losing, play-off bound Huddersfield did enough to ensure they did not slip below Wigan Warriors on points difference into sixth place.

Their reward is a return to Humberside next week for a theoretically easier play-off tie against Hull as opposed to a trip to Bradford Bulls.

Huddersfield started as if they were determined to avoid a scenario that would see their position settled by complex mathematics.

Two tries from Paul Reilly and one from Chris Nero gave them an advantage but Rovers fought back to finish their campaign in style.

The Giants took the lead when Reilly crashed over in the corner for the opening try from a long Kevin Brown pass after eight minutes.

Yet Rovers responded immediately as Mick Vella cut inside and ducked under Eorl Crabtree to touch down.

Cooke's conversion put Rovers ahead but the Giants reclaimed the lead when Reilly brilliantly took a short pass and managed to duck and wriggle under two challenges out wide.

A third try followed when Nero finished off a fast-flowing move, also on the right, after 32 minutes.

Rovers hit back again to cut the deficit to two when Chris Chester crossed and Cooke converted three minutes before the break.

They then thought they had reclaimed the lead when James Webster put Mark Lennon over early in the second half but referee Phil Bentham pulled them back for a forward pass.

The hosts had another chance after Reilly was penalised for tripping Rhys Lovegrove - the Giants winger escaping serious censure - but they wasted possession in dangerous territory.

They were to pay a harsh price as Jenson, the Giants' influential mid-season signing from Wests Tigers, raced in for two tries in as many minutes.

The lightning winger first benefited from a smart Brad Drew kick to race in and then repeated the feat from longer range moments later.

Thorman converted the second to make the score 24-12 but Rovers were far from done and replied, remarkably, with a rapid brace of their own from Fisher.

The Robins broke the length of the field before Lovegrove put Fisher over for his first and the hooker created his second all by himself with a long-range break from dummy half. Cooke converted both to level the scores and set up a thrilling finale.

The Rovers stand-off then had the final say when he avoided a challenge to find space and drop his late one-pointer.

Report source: www.superleague.co.uk

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