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Agar feels the heat as Hull's winless streak continues

Dave Hadfield
Monday 28 February 2011 01:00 GMT
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The pressure on Hull coach Richard Agar increased with their third defeat in as many matches in the new Super League season yesterday. Former Hull player Danny Brough did the damage, setting up three of Huddersfield's four tries in a 20-10 win.

It was a bad day all round for Humberside, with Hull KR losing 31-18 at the Catalan Dragons after leading 18-16 with half an hour to play.

The oldest man in Super League, Steve Menzies, scored the crucial try as the Catalans claimed their first win of the season.

Salford achieved the same landmark with a convincing 32-6 win in a mudbath at Wakefield.

Bradford got off the mark by winning 30-26 at Crusaders on Saturday, but they were far from impressive in an untidy match. Gareth Thomas had a mixed evening, scoring a try for the Welsh side, but then losing possession, allowing the Bulls to clinch the points.

Harlequins are the shock leaders of Super League after three weekends, thanks to a stunning 36-26 away victory against a previously unbeaten Leeds on Friday night.

Quins remained unbeaten under their little-known new coach, Rob Powell, with hooker Andy Ellis scoring two of their tries as they built a match-winning lead. The Rhinos, now under the charge of the former Quins coach Brian McDermott, were flattered by the final margin, which was distorted by two late tries.

On any other evening, the headlines would have been for Warrington's first win over St Helens in almost 10 years.

The Wolves effectively had the match won with three early tries, two of them from Lee Briers, the only survivor from their last team to beat Saints. With Kyle Eastmond playing like a man with the decision over his future weighing on his mind, Saints did not get a foothold in the game until it was too late.

A final scoreline of 25-18 severely understated Warrington's superiority and it was an inauspicious start to Saints' season of exile in Widnes, their temporary home while their new stadium is being built.

Eastmond, widely expected to announce soon that he is switching to rugby union with Bath after this season, apologised yesterday for not joining his team-mates in acknowledging the Saints' fans after the game.

"I was upset with how we played, but above all I was upset with my own performance," he said.

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