Robins rise to Giant task

Former Huddersfield winger David Hodgson returned to haunt his old club with a brace of tries as Hull KR completed the Stobart Super League double over a Giants side in freefall.

Scrum-half Michael Dobson also scored two tries and kicked eight goals for a 24-point haul as the in-form Robins cantered to a 44-26 victory, their fourth consecutive win in contrast to Huddersfield's fifth successive league defeat.

Huddersfield, who let slip an 18-0 lead to go down 40-22 at Craven Park in March, were boosted by the return of skipper Kevin Brown and they led 12-6 thanks largely to significant contributions from their England trio of Danny Brough, Leroy Cudjoe and Eorl Crabtree.

But the Robins were quick to seize on another woeful defensive performance from Nathan Brown's men and only late tries from Aaron Murphy and Larne Patrick spared them a humiliating scoreline.

Playmaker

Huddersfield had no answer to the kicking of Dobson, who was forced to take even more responsibility in the absence of fellow playmaker Blake Green, and he had a hand in most of his side's seven tries.

Hodgson opened the scoring on two minutes, taking centre Kris Welham's pass to touch down straight from a training-ground move after a scrum 10 metres out.

Huddersfield drew level five minutes later when centre Cudjoe collected Brough's crossfield kick to touch down and they went in front on 23 minutes when England prop Crabtree took Luke Robinson's pass to plunge over from close range.

Brough added both conversions to put the Giants into a six-point lead but the Robins soaked up further pressure and twice hit their hosts on the counter-attack to open up an 18-12 interval lead.

Dobson ran at the Huddersfield defence and Welham got his fingertips to the ball inches from the dead-ball line after two defenders, Tommy Lee and Cudjoe, both failed to deal with Dobson's grubber kick.

Undaunted, the Giants managed to create further tryscoring opportunities before half-time but they failed to apply the finishing touches, Patrick and Luke George both losing control as they attempted to put the ball over the line.

Clinical

Hull KR once more demonstrated the sort of clinical finishing their hosts could only dream of when scoring from their first attack of the second half, skipper Ben Galea running a superb line from Dobson's pass to scythe through for his side's fourth try.

Dobson added the conversion and kicked a second penalty on 52 minutes to put his side three scores ahead before Hodgson crossed for his second try five minutes later to put the result beyond doubt.

Huddersfield pulled a try back through centre Murphy but Dobson forced his way over for his second after Craig Hall had set up the position with a 60-metre run out of defence.

With the game opening up in the final quarter, Huddersfield took the opportunity to claim consolation tries through Murphy and Patrick but the visitors had the final say when Hall burst through for his side's seventh try.