Rovers turned in a flat performance as they slipped to a third straight loss, never recovering from conceding 24 first half points to the Quins.

The Robins returned to Craven Park looking to banish the memories of a flat performance the week before with a win over the visiting Harlequins RL. However coach Justin Morgan was left with a patched up back-line, with Shaun Briscoe and Peter Fox away on England duty, Ben Cockayne suspended, and Liam Colbon nursing damaged ribs. That presented an opportunity for Reserve Team full-back James Haynes to make his Super League debut, while the returning Jake Webster also added some extra strength to the Robins' three-quarters.

On a perfect evening for rugby, the Robins started with a spark in their play, but were forced to defend back-to-back sets on their own line. Luke Gale's grubber forced a drop-out for the Quins, and the Red and Whites looked to be seeing off the danger until Matt Gafa's grubber was pounced on by Chad Randall for the opening try.

Rob Purdham converted, and in almost identical circumstances, the visitors extended their lead five minutes later. Another kick forced repeat sets on the Rovers' line, and Chad Randall sent Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook crashing over.

Things were not looking good, as the Robins were unable to get their hands on the ball, and were slipping off tackles, and Danny Orr added another two points to the gap after Nick Fozzard was rather harshly penalised for interference.

That sparked the Red and Whites, aided by a good tackle from Stanley Gene which forced the ball free. From there, the Robins looked to have created an opportunity, as the ball was spread wide, but James Haynes had just over-run Jake Webster and the pass went behind him.

With a penalty count mounting against them, and a lack of field position becoming a real problem, the Robins needed to hold out until the break, but with ten minutes to go, the Quins broke through again. Randall spotted a chance on the short side and fired a cut-out ball to Will Sharp, who squeezed over at the corner.

Orr converted, and a bad half was made even worse by the departure of Nick Fozzard with an ankle problem three minutes later. Rovers needed something to turn the tide before the hooter, and Stanley Gene superbly produced something out of nothing.

Nothing seemed to be on when Ben Fisher passed the ball to him, but Gene stepped outside of one defender and raced away from another before diving over. Referee Phil Bentham awarded the try, but video replays showed that the ball had been knocked loose by McCarthy-Scarsbrook in the tackle.

That appeared to be the slice of luck that the Robins needed, as they cut the Quins open twice in quick succession through Michael Dobson and Paul Cooke. However they were unable to take full advantage of the chances, and with the final play of the half, David Howell grounded Luke Gale's cross-kick. Orr added the extras to leave the Red and Whites with a real hill to climb in the second half.

Half-Time: Hull KR 4      Harlequins RL 24

With a 20-point deficit to overhaul in the second half, the Robins needed a big improvement in their performance and something to give them some momentum, and after surviving an early Quins attack, they looked to finally be building some pressure.

Stanley Gene was causing havoc in the Harlequins' defence, with Scott Wheeldon weighing in with some strong runs, and after repeat sets on the visitors' line, the Robins broke through. Ben Fisher scooted out from dummy half before firing a perfect ball for a rampaging Wheeldon to crash over.

Dobson converted and the Robins were finally looking dangerous, but no sooner had they seen a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel than the Quins hit back to extend their advantage again. Randall jumped to the short side, handed the ball on to Howell and he put Sharp in at the corner.

Rovers needed something quickly, with time against them, and it appeared that they had created something out of nothing. Paul Cooke kicked over the top on the short side, and while Jon Wells watched the ball bounce towards the dead-ball line, Ben Fisher dived in to ground it. However video referee Richard Silverwood ruled that the ball had been touched down on the line, and denied the Robins the score.

With time counting down, the two points were heading back to London, but the Red and Whites were still showing a willingness to attack, with Dobson leading the way. However the final word went to the Quins, as Chris Melling burst through to score and convert himself.

Then, with the final play of the game, Kris Welham re-gathered a chip and flicked the ball up, only for it to go to ground and Harlequins pick up to break away and score through Howell. Melling converted to leave Rovers' coach Justin Morgan disappointed.

"It was a lethargic performance from us," Morgan said.

"I think ultimately, most probably, lots of changes to our team and then having to make lots of changes during the game didn't help us get any confidence that we might be lacking.

"Hats off to them for coming here ready to play and they just had a little bit more desire than we did in the first half, and it was just a bit too much to catch up.

"We were never really in the game. We rallied for about ten minutes in the first half, and then a small amount in the second half, but when we gave up that extra try in the second half, it was just a bit too much after that."

Full-Time: Hull KR 10      Harlequins RL 40

Hull KR: 15. Daniel Fitzhenry; 21. Chaz I'Anson, 4. Jake Webster, 19. Kris Welham, 27. James Haynes; 6. Paul Cooke, 7. Michael Dobson; 8. Nick Fozzard, 13. Scott Murrell, 18. Scott Wheeldon; 11. Clint Newton, 3. Chev Walker, 12. Ben Galea.

Replacements: 14. Stanley Gene, 9. Ben Fisher, 17. Makali Aizue, 16. Jason Netherton.

Harlequins: 2. Jon Wells; 1. Chris Melling, 3. Matt Gafa, 4. David Howell, 5. Will Sharp; 7. Danny Orr, 21. Luke Gale; 8. Karl Temata, 9. Chad Randall, 10. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook; 19. Jason Golden, 11. Luke Williamson, 13. Rob Purdham.

Replacements: 15. Ben Kaye, 23. Daniel Heckenberg, 31. Sam Thompson, 26. Matt Gardner.

Referee: Mr P. Bentham          Attendance: 7,874