Super League: Hull KR 42-0 Salford Red Devils - Rovers score seven tries in convincing win - Voice of Asia

Hull KR continued their perfect start to the Super League season with a convincing home victory over a struggling Salford Red Devils side, running in seven tries in the process. The Robins scored three times in the opening 13 minutes, and from then on, the result seemed inevitable as they secured their third successive Super League win, while Salford suffered their third consecutive defeat.

In a dominant opening spell, Kelepi Tanginoa, Oliver Gildart, and Tom Davies all crossed the whitewash for the side who were last season's runners-up. Jack Broadbent also touched down shortly after the restart, before Jai Whitbread scored twice from close range, with Jez Litten's try completing the scoring rout.

However, Hull KR's victory was tempered by disappointment as they lost fullback Niall Evalds and second-rower Rhyse Martin to injury early in the game. The Robins are already without their first-choice halfback Tyrone May and reigning Man of Steel winner Mikey Lewis, who are also sidelined with respective injuries.

Evalds was only involved for little more than a minute when he was on the receiving end of a high tackle by Jayden Nikorima, resulting in a yellow card for the Salford player. Evalds subsequently left the field for a head injury assessment (HIA) and failed to pass it, while his replacement Tanginoa made an immediate impact, breaking through several Salford tackles to almost score immediately after coming on. Gildart and Davies then took advantage of space out wide to make it 16-0.

Salford's disciplinary issues did not help their cause, and Danny Richardson, who took over kicking duties after Martin was forced off injured, kicked two penalty goals to extend the home side's lead to 20 points. Broadbent celebrated his 100th career appearance with a try in the second half, the centre bursting through a gap to race in from 25 meters out. Whitbread's two tries and Litten's seventh Hull KR try then completed the scoring.

Salford, who had Chris Hill sent off late in the game for a crusher tackle on a tackled player, endured a frustrating night and performed well below their best. They remain rooted to the bottom of the table, their season's start having been severely disrupted by off-field matters, with a takeover deal only being approved earlier this month.

Hull KR head coach Willie Peters told BBC Radio Humberside: "I'm extremely pleased with our performance. I'm always chasing 'zero' points against, that's what we want to be about. To be able to do that against Salford, who ask a lot of questions, is a good thing for the players."

"They worked hard because we had a lot of adversity, losing Niall and Rhyse early on. Joe Burgess was a possibility to come off at half-time, but he dug in for another 40 minutes, Elliot [Minchella] came off with a tight hamstring. Our centres had to play long minutes and did a great job, Jez Litten came on and was outstanding, and our halves did a good job. I'm really pleased all round."

Salford head coach Paul Rowley told BBC Radio Manchester: "That's probably one of the worst performances I've been involved in at this club. Everyone is looking for answers on the field, but everyone needs to look at themselves first, myself included. We were soft in attack and soft in defense, but it all starts in defense, and I thought our defense was diabolical. We have to stick together and fix it."

"(The previous uncertainty surrounding the takeover) is real, I can't deny it's been there for four months. However, you can play the victim all season if you want, but that doesn't do anyone any good. We're employed to play and coach rugby. We have to shake it off as quick as we can and move forward. It's a challenge, and it's one we have to face together, but find the answers quickly."

Hull KR: Evalds; Davies, Broadbent, Gildart, Burgess; Hiku, Richardson; Sue, Mcllorum, Vaea-Hargreaves, Martin, Batchelor, Minchella. Replacements: Litten, Hadley, Whitbread, Tanginoa. 18th man: Laqlan.

Salford: Brierley; Macdonald, Masters, Lafai, Cross; Nikorima, Sneyd; Singleton, Atkin, Ormondroyd, Wright, Watkins, Hill. Replacements: Hankinson, Sangare, Bourouh, Vete. 18th man: Morgan.

Referee: Aaron Moore.