Super League: Wigan Warriors beat depleted Hull KR 46-0 to return to top of table after Sir Billy Boston tributes

Wigan celebrated the life of the late, great Sir Billy Boston by sweeping aside a weakened Hull KR side 46-0 in their Betfred Super League clash at a sodden Brick Community Stadium.

Boston, who was made rugby league's first knight last year, died on Tuesday morning, four days after the funeral of his wife Lady Joan.

An emotional pre-match tribute saw Boston's son Stephen carry a Wigan shirt bearing his name onto the halfway line, where it was draped over the same throne upon which Boston had sat when the club celebrated his knighthood last July.

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Two seats were left vacant in the directors' box in tribute to Boston and his wife, and the home team warmed up in black T-shirts emblazoned with his number two prior to an impeccably-observed minute's silence.

Once the action got under way, Matt Peet's men duly racked up a record-extending 13th consecutive Super League win that restored them to the top of the table ahead of Leeds' trip to St Helens on Friday.

Liam Marshall helped himself to a hat-trick, while Zach Eckersley - the latest recipient of the number two jersey that Boston made his own - scored twice in a nine-try show to which Adam Keighran contributed a try and 10 points with the boot.

Rovers head coach Willie Peters, battling injuries and suspensions, named a team featuring three club debutants with an eye on next week's home clash with Huddersfield.

The defending champions are in real danger of slumping out of the top six and while the commitment of their weakened side could not be questioned, they were miles away from posing any kind of threat to a home team clearly hungry to wrest back their title.

The visitors held out for 10 minutes with Bill Leyland making a fine try-saving tackle on Jai Field before Marshall crossed for the game's first converted try.

Field zoomed onto Harry Smith's clever kick to double Wigan's lead, then Smith again was the instigator with a perfectly delivered 40-20 kick to set up Eckersley's opener on the right flank.

The half-time damage could have been worse for Rovers, as both Smith and Marshall had further tries disallowed, before Marshall and Eckersley each scored their second amid a torrential downpour just before the break.

Keighran converted his own try after Eckersley tapped back a Smith kick 12 minute into the second half, but Rovers dug deep and enjoyed a sustained spell of pressure on the Rovers line, forcing a series of drop-outs and bulling close through Arthur Mourgue and Sam Luckley.

Just after the hour mark Rovers thought they had been rewarded for their efforts when one of their debutants, Frankie Dearlove, splashed over in the corner, but replays showed a Wigan arm had prevented the ball being grounded, and the try was chalked off.

Marshall completed his hat-trick by blazing down the left with 12 minutes on the clock, and Wardle also jinked over after fine work from Field as the hosts wrapped up victory in a manner that would have made their late, great hero proud.

Sky Sports will show every game of the Super League live this season, including two matches each round exclusively live. The remaining five matches will be broadcast on Sky Sports+.

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