Bur essential
JOE HAILED AFTER DOUBLE SALVO
HULL KR .... 26 LEIGH .......... 14 JOE BURGESS scored two tries – including a sensational 90m effort – as super Hull KR dumped holders Leigh out of the Challenge Cup.
Victory won’t ever make up for agonisingly losing against the same opponents in last year’s final.
But Willie Peters’ side are now just 80 minutes from returning to Wembley.
Flying winger Burgess wasn’t part of the Rovers side that fell to Lachlan Lam’s golden point drop goal last year.
The ex-Wigan winger only joined on a 12-month deal after his surprise Salford axing in January – but he’s definitely making his mark.
He raced 90m and rounded Aussie star Matt Moylan for an eighth-minute opener to get the hosts up and running in yesterday’s thrilling quarter-final.
And after Leigh hit back to lead 8-4 at the break, Burgess produced
another quality finish in the 46th minute and they never looked back.
He’s now scored six tries in five games and boss Peters admitted: “Joe was great.
“He scored that try for us and that pace is something we probably lacked last year.
“Bringing in someone like Joe, he can make a line-break and score from long range. I’m really happy for him.
“He’s a good person and he’s fitted in really well.
“We have a decision to make (about extending his contract) and he is doing everything he can.
“It was a great game. Both teams went hard. And it’s probably the edgiest I’ve been as it got to the end. But we dug deep and I’m really proud.”
Leigh fielded eight players from the squad that last season brought a glorious first Cup final win in 52 years.
But missing captain John Asiata, hooker Edwin Ipape and full-back Gareth O’Brien, they were always going to be up against it.
Adrian Lam’s side have won just once all season so they were already ripe for the taking.
However, they weren’t out of this until the very last play. Ben McNamara threw a desperate
pass near his own line in search of a try which would have taken the game into extra-time.
But it only reached KR’s Tyrone May who palmed it down for his skipper Elliot Minchella to jubilantly finish things off.
England scrum-half Mikey Lewis was terrific for the hosts, who also saw Niall Evalds and the excellent Kelepi Tanginoa cross for tries, Lewis finishing with three goals.
Rovers also had three efforts disallowed via Jai Whitbread, Dean Hadley and May which meant Leigh were still in touch after Kai O’Donnell and Umyla Hanley tries.
Moylan slotted three goals and boss Lam said: “Right up to the last set I was hoping for a miracle try but it wasn’t to be. “I thought we could have (won) but we didn’t complete.
It’s probably the best rugby we’ve played in the first half but we fell on our own sword with mistakes. “That hurt us in the end.”
HULL FC are set to announce the shock appointment of York’s ex-Leeds, Warrington and England star Richie Myler, 33, as director of rugby. His first task will be bringing in a new head coach after Tony Smith’s sacking on Thursday.