Webster inspires return to winning ways

Abstract

Receiving the ball from a Rovers scrum on his own 40 yard line, [James Webster] saw his pass intercepted by Ian Watson, who then in turn fumbled the ball immediately when tackled by [Gareth Morton].

Despite boasting experienced heads like [Dennis Moran], Barrie McDermott and Terry O'Connor, [Widnes] began to fall apart under relentless Rovers pressure.

"All the field position was Rovers' because of James Webster's kicking game. Rovers had double the amount of sets that we did and that is the sign of a good team. But when we got the opportunities near their line we showed what we could do. It just was not often enough.

A Virtuoso performance from returning captain James Webster helped Hull KR to a 49-24 victory at Craven Park.

The Australian wizard conjured up a bit of magic to cast a spell on the visitors, who had no answer to his creativity.

Rovers bounced back from their Northern Rail Cup final heartache against Leigh to run in nine tries against their biggest promotion rivals.

Widnes came into the match on a six-game winning streak and were confident of ending Rovers' unbeaten league record.

But last season's relegated Super League side could not cope with the onslaught that hit them, with David Tangata-Toa and Makali Aizue causing the visiting defence problems all match.

The win takes Rovers six points clear of Widnes and eight clear of Leigh, who were surprise losers at home to Whitehaven.

Rovers coach Justin Morgan feels his side may have done just enough to secure first place going into the end-of-season play-offs.

Morgan told the Mail: "After this result I can be a little bit selective now with injuries, as that win probably secures our position at the top of the table.

"We can pick and choose and be more selective now. It will be a good chance to blood some youngsters and give some of the guys that haven't had much of a run out a game."

Morgan is clearly a relieved man after seeing his side surrender their unbeaten record last week and could not hide his pleasure at the way his men responded to the challenge.

He added: "It was a good response from the players. We challenged them after last weekend to bounce back and they certainly did that.

"We had some very tired bodies out there, but we've done a good job. The guys are weary. We are the only side that hasn't had a break since the start of the year."

While Rovers did look jaded in the closing stages, the Robins had done enough in the first 65 minutes to make the two points secure.

The decision to leave top points-scorer Gareth Morton on the bench raised a few eyebrows before the kick-off, but with Jason Netherton returning from a three-match ban, Morgan decided to go with the former West Hull amateur star, who is more solid defensively.

And the decision paid dividends with Netherton rewarding his coach's faith in him with two tries and a great display at the heart of the Robins' defence.

Jon Steel also made a return to the side after a month out with a broken cheekbone, and the speedy winger did not take long to mark his return with a try inside three minutes.

After revealing to the Mail his desire to finish top scorer for the season, Steel did his chances no harm with a second on 65 minutes to put an end to any doubt of the victory.

What took place between his two tries was a demonstration of quick, attacking, passing rugby from Rovers, with Webster pulling all the strings.

The inspirational captain scored his first try on 10 minutes, showing quick feet to evade two tackles, but he showed even quicker feet to score the try of the match 20 minutes later.

Receiving the ball from a Rovers scrum on his own 40 yard line, Webster saw his pass intercepted by Ian Watson, who then in turn fumbled the ball immediately when tackled by Gareth Morton.

With everyone stopping for the referee's whistle that never came, Webster was quick to react and one handed picked the ball up and ran 60 yards to the line, out-pacing his old foe Dennis Moran to crash over.

Following the try Widnes seemed to lose their heads, with indiscipline leaking into all aspects of their game.

Oliver Wilkes and Daryl Cardiss were both sin-binned for a late tackle and laying-on respectively.

As if it was not hard enough playing with a man down, Widnes failed to help their cause with a series of stupid errors.

Following Ben Cockayne's 44th minute try, the whole Vikings line were caught offside from the kick-off, gifting Rovers unexpected field advantage.

Despite boasting experienced heads like Dennis Moran, Barrie McDermott and Terry O'Connor, Widnes began to fall apart under relentless Rovers pressure.

Their performance was summed up perfectly on 70 minutes when Ryan Tandy broke free for the line and passed to an unmarked James Coyle, who fumbled just yards from the try line.

Despite his team's performance, Widnes coach Steve McCormack could not praise Rovers enough for their efforts.

"We were beaten by a better team and we have no excuses," said McCormack.

"All the field position was Rovers' because of James Webster's kicking game. Rovers had double the amount of sets that we did and that is the sign of a good team. But when we got the opportunities near their line we showed what we could do. It just was not often enough.

"Rovers will finish top now, but it is a dogfight to see who will finish in the other five places. There is still a long way to go."

There were some negatives for Rovers, with Morton missing several kickable conversions and the Vikings going over twice in the last four minutes.

But even late points for the visitors could not take the shine off what was a fantastic display by the hosts.

On this evidence the Robins' may just be bob, bob, bobbing along all the way to Twickenham for the Challenge Cup final ... if they can get past the small matter of St Helens first.