Mikey Lewis puts on a show for Hull KR as Huddersfield Giants’ woe deepen

HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS 4 HULL KR 50
JACOB KILBRIDE, John Smith’s Stadium, Sunday

IN the week that the Ashes were officially confirmed, one of the main selection headaches up for discussion was who partners captain George Williams in the halves.

Having been forced to settle for a place on the interchange bench in last year’s Samoa series, Mikey Lewis did his starting ambitions no harm with a performance that surely ranks amongst the best of his career.

The Man of Steel delivered three tries and had a hand in four others from the nine that Hull KR scored to open up a three-point advantage at the top of Super League.

Huddersfield simply could not live with Lewis’ slippery footwork and elusive running game as the KR talisman found his best form ahead of Saturday’s mouth-watering Challenge Cup quarter-final meeting against arch-rivals Hull FC.

Lewis landed his first blow inside six minutes, dummying past one defender before rolling over the top of George Flanagan’s attempted tackle and offloading for Oliver Gildart to dot down.

Debutant Arthur Mourgue added the conversion, the first of seven from nine attempts.

Flanagan responded through an incredible solo try. Feigning a drop-off pass on halfway, he skipped past Lewis before rounding the covering Mourgue with a brilliant left-foot step.

Flanagan’s wayward conversion attempt from the simplest of angles did take some of the shine off a marvellous score, and he was then caught out by a Lewis dummy five minutes later as the halfback reached out an arm to score his first try between two Giants defenders.

The Lewis-Flanagan mini-battle continued when the former collected a loose grubber from the latter on the full, deep in his half, before racing to within the Giants 30. From there, a shift to open right edge gave Peta Hiku the room to hand Mourgue a debut try.

The Giants may try to take some positives out their defensive resolve from a 20-minute scoreless spell either side of the break, but the contest well and truly belonged to Lewis.

Jake Bibby was the latest to fall for his signature dummy and after riding a would-be Jacob Gagai tackle, an offload from the deck sent Jai Whitbread over.

Some terrific KR defence forced Taane Milne into a yardage error, a couple of plays later Lewis was on hand to step past a tiring Matty English and hand Jez Litten an easy finish.

The floodgates were well and truly open now. A wild Leroy Cudjoe pass went straight into touch, providing the platform for Sauaso Sue to charge through a gap from Litten’s dummy-half pass.

Mourgue then cut through a hole from and fed Lewis to bag his second.

With four minutes left, Lewis clinched his hat-trick as some sublime hands down the left gave Gildart room to break free on halfway before returning an inside pass for his stand-off to touch down.

In the dying embers, KR conjured an even more remarkable long-range try. Hiku got past Jake Bibby inside his own half before Tyrone May, who could well have scored himself, handed Tom Davies a try thanks to a kick to the right corner.

GAMESTAR: It was an irresistible performance from Man of Steel Mikey Lewis, who scored three tries and had a hand in four more. The Giants simply could not handle him.

GAMEBREAKER: After some tough defending early in the second half, Jai Whitbread’s effort on 51 minutes took the contest well beyond the Giants’ reach.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: George Flanagan’s solo score from inside his own half was a remarkable effort to beat Mikey Lewis then Arthur Mourgue, even if it was the sole moment of celebration for the Giants.

ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Mikey Lewis (Hull KR)
2 pts Sauaso Sue (Hull KR)
1 pt Jared Waerea-Hargreaves (Hull KR)

MATCHFACTS
GIANTS
1 Jacob Gagai
2 Adam Swift
23 Taane Milne
3 Jake Bibby
5 Sam Halsall
6 Tui Lolohea
29 George Flanagan
15 Matty English
14 Ashton Golding
18 Fenton Rogers
12 Sam Hewitt
13 Harry Rushton
21 Leroy Cudjoe
Subs (all used)
10 Tom Burgess
19 Thomas Deakin
25 Jack Billington
30 Jack Bibby
18th man (not used)
24 Aidan McGowan
Also in 21-man squad
20 Elliot Wallis
28 Connor Carr
– Archie Sykes

Tries: Flanagan (14)
Goals: Flanagan 0/1

HULL KR
35 Arthur Mourgue (D)
18 Jack Broadbent
4 Oliver Gildart
3 Peta Hiku
2 Tom Davies
6 Mikey Lewis
7 Tyrone May
10 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
14 Michael McIlorum
8 Sauaso Sue
11 Dean Hadley
12 James Batchelor
13 Elliot Minchella
Subs (all used)
9 Jez Litten
15 Sam Luckley
16 Jai Whitbread
20 Kelepi Tanginoa
18th man (not used)
21 Jack Brown
Also in 21-man squad
5 Joe Burgess
19 Danny Richardson
24 Eribe Doro