SAINTS’ hold on top spot now looks extremely tenuous after they slumped to another demoralising loss – and they are probably grateful the margin of this mauling was not much greater by the end of this second half pummelling.

Although the manner of this defeat set alarm bells ringing among the band of travelling fans – and those who followed the painful proceedings on the radio – growing calls for the sacking of the coach seem to harshly ignore the team’s league position and what happened to its key personnel since July.

Prior to that dreadful evening at the Willows when scrum half Sean Long suffered a broken jaw, the team had lost just three games in their first 21 outings in all competitions. Their subsequent record of four defeats in seven matches tells its own story and there is no disguising the fact that the team looks rudderless without Long.

But the absence of their main organiser has been compounded by the complete lack of firepower up front.

The subsequent loss of Maurie Fa’asavalu with a broken arm, joining long-term front row casualties Jason Cayless and Gareth Frodsham on the sidelines, has left James Graham shouldering too great a burden to shoulder in the middle.

Consequently, when they have come up against big packs like Huddersfield, Wakefield and again at Hull KR, Saints have been unable to win the collision, and subsequent play from dummy half, which has been the key to the club’s success since 2006 has been neutralised.

Unless coach Potter can don a cape, turn magician and produce Sean Long from a top hat or a fully fit prop forward from behind a spangly curtain, it is difficult to see what else the coach and chairman can do at this stage of the season.

Although in the main there was no lack of effort from a side the team spent the best part of 80 minutes running at a brick wall.

Saints, aided by a strong end-to-end wind in the wide open stadium, started the better of two sides in an error-strewn first half, but they paid a heavy price for some careless play just before the break.

Saints came up with two wind-assisted 40/20s to keep Rovers under a degree of pressure in the opening quarter. The lively James Roby launched his on the hoof, leading to a passage of play that saw Matt Gidley lose the ball in a crunching Jake Webster tackle that did more damage to the Rovers centre. Webster was groggily led off with a towel ensuring the crowd were spared the sight of blood.

Leon Pryce’s booming kick, however, earned a reward when stand-in scrum half Jamie Ellis sent Graham bashing his way over from close range like he has done so many times this year.

Ellis missed what would have been a relatively simple kick without the strong wind, but Saints held that four-point lead until a howler just before the half time hooter.

The error had been in the incubator for 10 minutes and was a product not simply of Pryce’s sloppiness, but also of the team to adequately replace Roby at dummy half when he was spelled.

Several players took it in turns at acting half back, but there were occasions where play the balls were slowed down by the attacking player because there was nobody waiting at his heels.

It was an accident waiting to happen and although Wilkin eventually took control, it was not before a wayward, lazy pass from Pryce had been snaffled up by Kris Welham and goaled by Michael Dobson to hand the Robins a surprise interval lead.

It gave Rovers all the incentive they needed, particularly as they now had the wind in their sails for the start of the second half.

They hit Saints with a whirlwind start of three tries in the opening 12 minutes through Webster and a Daniel Fitzhenry brace.

They could have had three more but were recalled for a series of indiscretions before Peter Fox nipped in for another unconverted score to make it 26-4 and seal Rovers’ first double over Saints since 1981-82.

The last word went to Saints and although the hooter had sounded, a smart kick wide from Ellis was gathered and touched down by Ade Gardner.

Hull KR: Briscoe; Fox, Webster, Welham, Colbon; Cooke, Dobson; Fozzard, Fitzhenry, Vella, Newton, Galea, Cockayne. Subs: Walker, Netherton, Wheeldon, I’Anson.

Saints: Wellens; Gardner, Gidley, Gilmour, Meli; Pryce, Ellis; Graham, Roby, Puletua, Wilkin, Flannery, Dixon. Subs: Hargreaves, Clough, Wheeler, Ashurst.