ST HELENS coach Paul Rowley admitted his side were not physical enough after they were hit by a nine-try demolition by world champions Hull KR.
It didn’t start well with a knock-on from the kick-off, and they compounded it with errors against a solid home defence.
Rowley said: “We popped the balloon from the start and came out of our structure.
“We were not physical enough, especially in the first half, and it was possibly a game too far from a tired group.
“You have to work hard with capable teams and there were some hard lessons out there and which will prove useful for the future.
“This will be painful to swallow as the physicality was not what we are about. The game has been sped up but the change in each game is significant and if you are dominant as Hull KR were they are hard to live with.”
Despite his side’s underachieving performance Rowley was in praise of the home side when he added: “Hull KR have some great edges especially Joe Burgess and they are a good team especially on the front foot. They were very physical and good at what they did.
“Hull KR totally dominated and there were some hard lessons for us, especially with the second and third tries.
“This is a reality check going forward but they are a good group and will be in good spirits for next week. They are still learning and we will be honest in our review.”