Rovers coach frustrated with draw

Hull KR coach Craig Sandercock will ask his players to learn from the last five minutes of their 36-36 draw with St Helens to avoid dropping more league points in the future.

Rovers led 36-34 after Jamie Foster failed to convert Francis Meli's 74th-minute try. The home side however failed to close the game out and conceded a last-gasp penalty just before the hooter sounded. Foster scored to level a thrilling game and leave Sandercock ruing the closing stages of the game.

"Those last five minutes the players will look back on and think they should and could have done a lot better," said Sandercock. "They didn't and we paid the penalty. I've not had a good look at the decision so I don't want to comment on that. It's very disappointing."

Disappointment was an emotion shared by St Helens coach Royce Simmons.

He was far from happy with his side's defence that leaked 36 points against a side missing both first-choice half-backs Blake Green and Michael Dobson, especially after they had raced into a 14-0 lead after 15 minutes.

"I'm a bit disappointed really to concede 36 points against a side we knew would be very game and very hard," said Simmons.

"They were without their two starting halves but we knew how strongly their forwards carry the ball as they did so well in the first two games.

"We knew it was going to be a battle. The problem was we got to 14-0 too easily and I think we thought this would be an easy game. We pointed out during the week how big and aggressive this pack of forwards is and how well Craig Hall had done coming in and playing in the halves.

"I don't think our attitude for the entire 80 minutes was quite where we wanted it. But in saying that, don't take anything away from Hull KR because they could easily have given up at 14-0 down and we have key players injured.

"They didn't use that as an excuse and the coach has done a great job and they stayed very competitive and they were probably the better side."