Super League: Hull KR on song to claim the points away to Bradford Bulls
Last Updated: 21/06/14 7:38am
Hull KR piled more pressure on relegation-threatened Bradford Bulls with an impressive 44-18 success at Provident Stadium on Friday.
Centre Craig Hall and full-back Greg Eden scored two tries apiece as the Rovers secured just their second away win of the season.
The defeat for the Bulls, who are now being looked after by caretaker coach Matt Diskin, means remain eight points behind Wakefield Wildcats in the table.
The danger signs were there for Bradford after only seven minutes when recalled winger Ade Gardner palmed the ball back from impressive stand-off Travis Burns' high kick for centre Kris Welham to go over at the corner but slow-motion replays showed he had a foot in touch.
The visitors duly took the lead when Burns dummied his way over for the game's first try on 14 minutes and the Australian kicked the first of his six goals.
An outbreak of fighting at a scrum, which was put on report by referee Robert Hicks, seemed to spark new life into the Bulls, who drew level midway through the first half when right winger Elliot Kear took Lee Gaskell's long pass to touch down, with Luke Gale adding the goal.
That encouraged Diskin's men and a couple of defensive errors from Eden enabled them to pile on the pressure.
However, Bradford's lack of finishing demonstrated their fragile confidence as substitutes Adam O'Brien and Manase Manuokafoa were both held up over the line without being able to ground the ball.
Quickfire tries
The Robins withstood the pressure and hit their hosts with two quickfire tries on the counter-attack before the break.
Hooker Josh Hodgson went over from dummy half 10 metres out and Welham snaffled a pass from Adrian Purtill intended for Gaskell to race 40 metres for an opportunist score.
Trailing 18-6 at half-time, there was no way back for the Bulls when Hall slipped a tackle from his opposite number Matty Blythe on halfway within two minutes of the restart to scorch 50 metres for his first try.
The Bulls made life difficult for themselves with a host of errors and, when Gaskell and Kear made a hash of collecting Burns speculative kick near their own line, they were swiftly punished, with Eden taking Burns' short pass to touch down for his first try.
Burns' fourth goal made it 28-6 but the Bulls produced a spirited rally that brought them two tries in the final quarter.
Eden saved a certain try by intercepting Tom Olbison's pass meant for Gale and O'Brien was denied for a second time by being unable to ground the ball before making it third time lucky on the hour to register his side's second try.
However, Bradford's fragile defence was in evidence once more when replacement forward Adam Walker took Keal Carlile's pass to crash over before Hall dummied his way over for his second.
An offload from prop Adam Sidlow created a third try for stand-off Danny Addy and Gale kicked his third goal but the Bulls finished a well-beaten side and conceded again just before the end when Eden went 90 metres for his second try.
