Super League: Salford Red Devils beat Hull KR 26-16 with two late tries in Magic Weekend opener

Salford made it seven wins from their past eight games with a late flurry of points to pull clear of Hull KR for victory in match one of Magic Weekend.

Marc Sneyd’s boot again kept Salford in it, punishing indiscipline, as Rovers added a third try through Ryan Hall.

Late scores for ex-Rovers duo Ken Sio and Chris Atkin earned Salford victory.

Defeat for Hull KR was compounded by the withdrawal of back-rower James Batchelor following a challenge in the first half, which left him knocked out and motionless on the pitch for 10 minutes.

Batchelor was carried off on a stretcher in a neck brace and taken to hospital, but after the match head coach Willie Peters said he is in “good spirits”.

They also lost Lachlan Coote to a head injury assessment, which, given his previous issues with concussions, could be a genuine concern in his final season at Craven Park.

Salford now move two points behind leaders Warrington, who play on Sunday, while Rovers are four points off top spot.

This game, though first on the bill, promised much as it pitted two in-form sides and packed with gamebreakers, although the quality level did not quite live up to the drama.

An enthusiastic crowd, fringed by partisan factions at both ends of the ground, were treated to a tense affair, see-sawing, that was not decided until late on.

Paul Rowley’s Salford looked to Sneyd’s boot to keep them in the game on a sapping afternoon, and his kicking out of hand and from the tee were again impressive.

The rare moments of genuine quality stood out like a sore thumb, such as Batchelor’s offload to put Matt Parcell into space for Minchella’s score, while Burgess was sent over by Brodie Croft’s scorching break.

King’s try was all raw-boned power while Hall showed acrobatic ability to touch down spectacularly in the corner, but it was not enough for Rovers.

Ryan Brierley showed he had plenty of gears to move through against a tiring defence to send Sio over, while Atkin finished off after a beautifully constructed move carved the Robins open up the middle.

Hull KR head coach Willie Peters:

“It was a tough afternoon and we got what we deserved.

“We were lucky to be in front at half-time then in the second half there were too many errors and too much indiscipline.”

[On James Batchelor’s condition]: “From what I know he’s in a decent way at the moment.

“When I spoke to the medical team they said he was in good spirits but because of the symptoms he gave initially, he needed to go to hospital. Initially he didn’t have any feeling but then it started to come back.”

Salford coach Paul Rowley:

“We created a lot of opportunities in the first half and we really needed to capitalise on a lot of them.

“If you had a team with a soft underbelly you’d start doubting yourself but we’ve got a good group that stayed with it and on task, and we got them in the end after some missed opportunities on our part.”

[On full-back Ryan Brierley’s England prospects]: “He’s been the best full-back on the pitch in all of our last five or six games.

“We’ve got several people who are quietly letting their actions speak louder than words, but at some point you’ve got to start looking at the end of the season and some selections there.”

Salford: Brierley; Sio, Cross, Lafai, Burgess; Croft, Sneyd; Dupree, Atkin, Vuniyayawa, Watkins, Stone, Partington.

Interchanges: Bourouh, Ormondroyd, Sidlow, Hellewell.

Hull KR: Coote; Kenny-Dowall, Opacic, C. Hall, R. Hall; Litten, Lewis; Sue, Parcell, Hadley, Batchelor, Linnett, Minchella.

Interchanges: King, Storton, Wood, Luckley.

Referee: Chris Kendall.