Hull KR 45 Leeds Rhinos 26: Dire Leeds Rhinos sink to new low at Hull Kingston Rovers

Rhinos started badly and got worse. They were 12-0 down after seven minutes, 18-0 adrift at the end of the first quarter and 31-10 behind at half-time – and that flattered them.

For the first 40, Leeds seemed to think defence was something you sit on. Rovers inevitably scored when they got close to the visitors’ line and with the ball, Rhinos struggled to complete a set.

Frustratingly, when they did they scored a couple of tries – both by Konrad Hurrell – but they simply didn’t give themselves an opportunity to take hold of the game.

Hurrell added two more in the second half, but was the only Leeds player who could hold his head up.

This was a week after a positive performance and morale-boosting result. Rhinos should have been jumping out of their socks to play, but looked as if they’d rather be anywhere else.

The win over Castleford might have sparked a winning run and looking at fixtures in April – Huddersfield Giants and Hull KR again at home and Wakefield Trinity away –possibly an unbeaten month, but last night’s form would not be good enough to beat any of those.

Rhinos did improve for a while after the interval, as happened on their previous visit to East Yorkshire when an awful first-half spell condemned them to defeat at Hull, but playing okay after going 21 points down isn’t really anything to be proud of.

Leeds actually cut the gap nine points early in the final quarter, but the way they then threw away the momentum was breathtakingly inept. Rhinos kicked three restarts out on the full and failed to go 10 with another – as well as booting a drop out dead. Given the amount of practice, kick-offs is something they should be nailing!

Where do Rhinos go from here? The cynical answer is the Championship, but that is a growing possibility. They have players to come in, but injuries can’t be used as an excuse and coach Dave Furner has tried dropping players – Matt Parcell was left out last night – and bringing people in. Wellington Albert, the former Widnes prop, has signed until the end of the season and made his debut off the bench.

Rovers, to be fair, were excellent in the first half though Leeds made it easier for them than they were probably expecting. Of their six ex-Rhinos, Danny McGuire had a fine game, scoring a try and drop goal and Mitch Garbutt also crossed. Craig Hall was also impressive.

Rhinos had an early chance when Robbie Mulhern spilled the ball in the first set, but Hurrell was held up over the line from acting-half on the last.

The second time Leeds had the ball Jack Walker lost it coming away from his line and when Rhinos’ third set came along they were 12-0 down.

Tommy Lee went over for a soft try from acting-half which Craig Hall improved after just four minutes. The number of similar tries Rhinos have conceded this year is frightening and opposition coaches have clearly taken note.

Rovers received a penalty for a ball steal in the next set, Mose Masoe forced his way to the line, the ball came loose and McGuire touched down for one of the easier tries of his remarkable career. As with the first score, video referee Robert Hicks confirmed referee James Child’s initial decision. Hall again added the extras and the visitors were in deep trouble after just seven minutes.

It almost got worse on 11 when Rovers got over Leeds’ line for the third time. They would have scored if Hall had used his support from McGuire’s break, but then McGuire kicked ahead and Kane Linnett touched down. Child spotted a shove on Watkins and Hicks backed his no try call.

A knock-on by Tom Briscoe before he got the ball down was followed immediately by another try for the rampant hosts. Junior Vaivai exploited Leeds’ total lack of anything resembling defence and later in the set Linnett’s pass sent his winger Will Oakes over.

Hall could not convert, but Cameron Smith became the latest player to turn over possession, McGuire kicked ahead – free-play style – and though he was kept out, an offside penalty made it 18-0 at the end of the first quarter.

After 21 minutes Leeds finally managed to put a passage of play together without knocking on and it produced a try of their own, Hurrell proving unstoppable from Brad Dwyer’s initial break. Liam Sutcliffe added the extras.

That, perhaps, could have lifted Leeds and taken some confidence and energy out of Rovers, but it didn’t.

They were more enthusiastic than Leeds, which is unacceptable from Rhinos’ point of view and that was illustrated when a brilliant chase trapped Walker in goal to force a drop out.

Rhinos’ problem, one of them anyway, is if the opposition have a set in Rhinos’ 20 they look likely to score – and not through doing anything particularly special.

Off the drop-out, Shaun Lunt turned the ball to Mitch Garbutt and her crashed over for another embarrassingly basic try, yet again confirmed by Hicks with Hall adding the goal.

In the final seconds of the half McGuire landed a drop-goal to make it 31-10.

Brad Singleton went over for a nice try 10 minutes into the second half, off Sutcliffe’s pass after he had collected Lolohea’s bomb.

Sutcliffe converted and Walker and Watkins kept Leeds in touch by holding Danny Addy up over the line. Hurrell completed his hat-trick with a storming run from inside Leeds’ half, off Lolohea’s pass. Sutcliffe kicked the goal and the gap was down to nine points with 18 minutes left.

Suddenly the home fans were getting nervous, but then Walker booted a drop-out on the full to give Rovers a gift two points which Hall gratefully accepted.

A penalty soon afterwards led to Josh Drinkwater going over to end the fightback and – after another long-range Hurrell score – Hall boosted another penalty and Ben Crooks added a try on the final play, which the full-back improved.

With Richie Myler suspended Lolohea came back into the team, at scrum-half alongside Sutcliffe, after being dropped for two games. Adam Cuthbertson was recalled on the bench after an ankle injury.

The penalty count was 10-8 in Rovers’ favour (five-four to Leeds in the first half).

DEWSBURY RAMS’ Coral Challenge Cup fifth round tie at amateurs Thatto Heath Crusaders will be shown live by BBC Sport on Sunday, April 14 (3pm).