FURY OVER MASOE KO
Sheens blasts tackle
HULL KR boss Tim Sheens was clucking mad after losing giant new recruit Mose Masoe to a suspected chicken wing tackle.
But his mood would have been far worse had Rovers not fashioned a late fightback to get their Super League bid off to a winning start.
Prop Mick Scruton’s 73rd-minute try sealed victory after part-timers Halifax shrugged off an early deficit to lead 22-14 with 18 minutes left.
Debut boy Masoe had already made his last contribution when the ex-Leeds and Bradford star crashed over.
He was hit hard by Ryan Boyle and Sheens said: “Mose’s shoulder went in and out and I am very disappointed with that. It was right in front of the officials.”
He was delighted by his side’s character after Halifax threatened to pull off the first shock of the Middle 8s. Rovers want to regain the elite status lost in dramatic golden-point heartbreak against Salford last October. They topped the Championship after the regular season, though one of their three defeats came against the Shay men. Sheens added: “The first round has been like that for every club. It’s going to be a tough series. The win is always what you want but this is not going to guarantee an exit out of this division and a loss wouldn’t finish you.”
Halifax boss Richard Marshall said: “We were fantastic. They should have scored three or four more tries but we kept turning up for each other.
“We could only do it for a certain amount of time. The law of physics suggest these full-time players and well-paid athletes were going to get over the line at some point.”
Full-back Kieren Moss touched down twice in the first six minutes.
But Halifax winger Ben Heaton (left) bagged four of the game’s next five tries and with three Steve Tyrer conversions, the underdogs led by eight points.
With an upset on the cards Rovers finally came to life, George Lawler crashing over after 62 minutes before Scruton took Shaun Lunt’s pass for the glory try, with both touchdowns goaled by Jamie Ellis.