Wakefield 54-18 Hull KR: Trinity boost top-four prospects
By Press Association Sport
Last Updated: 06/05/18 6:35pm
Wakefield gave their top-four aspirations a timely boost with a thumping 54-18 victory over Hull KR.
After winning only one of their previous eight Super League fixtures, Wakefield's play-off hopes were hanging by a thread and their season needed the kind of clinical performance they delivered in sweltering conditions at The Mobile Rocket Stadium.
Rovers made a positive start but needed tries from Chris Clarkson and Adam Quinlan to draw level at 12-12 after Matty Ashurst and Tom Johnstone had scored against the run of play.
Tyler Randell put Wakefield back ahead before half-time and Trinity ran riot after the break, Scott Grix scoring twice either side of efforts from Ben Jones-Bishop and Johnstone.
Kieren Moss marked his debut in the competition with a try but Wakefield completed a record Super League win over Rovers as Anthony England touched down and Johnstone completed his hat-trick.
There was no indication of the demolition to come as Hull KR came flying out of the traps.
Tommy Lee booted a 40/20 before Junior Vaivai was held up over the line and Quinlan cut the Wakefield defence open with slick footwork.
But the Robins were chasing the game following quickfire tries from the hosts.
First Ashurst touched down under the sticks on the back of Jacob Miller's break and then the Australian half-back ran 80 metres after snapping up Danny McGuire's low kick to give the supporting Johnstone an easy finish.
Johnstone's breakaway try came after Robbie Mulhern had been hauled down just short but Rovers refused to dwell on the missed opportunities and were level midway through the first half.
The Robins' opening try came at the end of a scintillating team move that began with Ryan Shaw weaving his way through Wakefield's left edge and ended with Clarkson finishing on the other side from Jordan Walne's classy pass.
Rovers were celebrating back-to-back tries when Quinlan took McGuire's inside ball before comfortably evading the tackle of Grix to score next to the posts.
The visitors continued to do all the running and should have completed the turnaround through Liam Salter, who twice failed to finish in the corner.
And the winger was punished when Randell powered his way over from dummy-half and Liam Finn added the extras to reach 500 points for Wakefield.
Vaivai lost the ball with the try line begging as Rovers continued to bomb tries on their left edge and the Robins lost their discipline after the break to hand the game to Trinity.
Finn slotted over a penalty following an illegal tackle on David Fifita and then added another two points after Grix crossed from Miller's neat pass.
Rovers might have found a way back into the match had the officials spotted a push by Jones-Bishop on Clarkson that allowed him to collect Maurice Blair's kick and race the length of the field.
Johnstone took Miller's kick to make it three tries in 10 minutes and Grix coasted his way over out wide to complete his double.
Rovers kept going in testing conditions and scored a deserved third try as Moss sprinted over from Quinlan's pass.
But Wakefield completed a comprehensive win courtesy of England's scrappy effort and Johnstone's third try from Miller's long pass.
