HULL Kingston Rovers asked York City Knights a big question at Huntington Stadium last night.

Can you really compete with full-time National League One clubs on a weekly basis?

The answer was written on blank faces, in player-less gaps and clumsy handling: not yet.

Last week's close run at Widnes Vikings - a result brought into a completely different light after their 53-4 hammering at Leigh yesterday - had offered hope.

But the Robins were just too strong, too quick and too wily. And they beat York at a canter.

Ten minutes after having prop Francis Stephenson sent off for throwing punches at ex-team-mate Jamie Bovill, the Knights snapped into gear with three tries, all starting from quick play-the-balls.

After 68 minutes of almost non-stop driving from the Robins in an incredibly tough defensive day for the Knights, they were thrown.

The ball snapped through the hands of the line to let Rob Spicer triumphantly duck over in the corner.

The fire in the Knights' veins was practically visible three minutes later when quick offloads from supersub Jim Elston and Joe Helme released fullback Lee Lingard to weave his way more than 60 yards through the remainder of the shell-shocked Hull defence to ground under the posts and gift Paul Thorman the only conversion of the day.

Elston was again at the heart of try number three on 74 minutes as he unleashed Peter Fox on a mini-break. The second the ball was played, Phil Hasty's quick hands got the ball out to Neil Law, and he stormed his way over the whitewash.

The fact that a player of the calibre of James Webster felt the need to kick a drop goal to re-take control said a lot.

But within a minute, Hull were back to doing what they had done all game, moving the ball quickly, finding the gaps and applying enough power to sap up tacklers three at a time. Dean O'Loughlin's try-saving tackle on Ben Cockayne was heroic after the slippery run through the middle, but Jon Goddard defied him to stretch under the posts.

York had started with the kind of mammoth defensive effort head coach Mick Cook had demanded midweek by twice holding up would-be Hull tries before Michael Smith brushed off two tackles and sprinted beneath the posts on nine minutes.

The Knights response was rapid with the ball flying through hands to Mark Blanchard on the far left for a sweet try, although it inevitably proved too far wide for Hasty to convert.

Jonny Liddell made like Iestyn Harris with a smart cut-out pass that instantly cancelled out the immense KR pace.

But that same tactic turned on them as the balls became wilder, desperation set in and handling errors added a 14th man to the red and whites.

There were other errors, too - big ones. A kick restart flew straight out onto the full, needless penalties were given away like mini eggs on Easter Sunday morning, and the knock-ons stacked up and up.

Hull barely managed two offloads in the first half in the wake of a Knights clampdown on 'free' tackles but they found other ways through.

The effort of having two or three men in each tackle left gaps wide enough for Webster to cruise through after a penalty tap. David Tangata-Toa teed up Makali Aizue, who failed to see a single blue shirt en route to the line.

Kicker Damien Couturier - twice, Leroy Rivett, Cockayne and Jon Steele all found their way through easy enough.

It's not fair to be given an advanced level question paper in the first two weeks of a season-long examination but that's what the Knights have had to sit through so far.

The lessons have been there to learn and it's time to put some of them into practice, starting on Monday at Halifax.



Knights: Lingard 6, Fox 5, Spicer 5, Law 7, Farrell 5, Thorman 5, Hasty 6, Buckley 6, Liddell 6, Bovill 5, Smith 6, Blanchard 6, Paterson 6. Subs (all used): Elston 7, Golden 7, Helme 5, O'Loughlin 6.

Tries: Blanchard 15; Spicer 69; Lingard 72; Law 74.

Conversions: Thorman 72.

Penalties: None.

Drop-goals: None.

Sin-binned: None.

Sent off: None.

Hull KR: Cockayne, Rivett, Couturier, Goddard, Steele, Murrell, Webster, Stephenson, Ellis, Price, Morrison, Smith, Gallagher. Subs (all used) Joseph, Tangata-Toa, Netherton, Aizue.

Tries: Smith 9; Steele 20; Webster 28; Couturier 36, 60; Aizue 47; Rivett 62; Cockayne 66; Goddard 78.

Conversions: Couturier 9, 20, 28, 46, 60, 62, 78.

Penalties: None.

Drop-goals: Webster 77.

Sin-binned: None.

Sent off: Stephenson 68.

o Man of the match Neil Law - rock solid and dependable in a tough day for the Knights defence, and bagged a try of his own.

HT: 4-22.

Referee: Jamie Leahy (Dewsbury).

Rating: Couple of errors but generally a decent performance.

Attendance: 2,822.

Penalty count: 6-10.

Gamebreaker: Damien Couturier's first try on 36 minutes meant the Knights had the demoralising cry of 'can we play you every week' ringing in their ears at half time.

Moment of the match: Lee Lingard's zig-zagging try on 72 minutes over a good 60 yards was one to be savoured.

Weather watch: Short sleeves got their first outing of the summer in the crowds in the bright sunlight - but they regretted it once the rays dipped behind the Pop stand in the last 15 minutes.

Match rating: Frustratingly one-sided at times with the Knights making a fight of it towards the end.