Wakefield avenged defeat on day one of the engage Super League campaign with a hard-earned win over 12-man Hull KR.

Three tries in the opening 10 minutes of the second half turned the game the way of the Wildcats, with Ben Jeffries, Matt Blaymire and Paul White scoring.

Rovers rallied and winger Ian Hardman went in by the corner flag for a try converted from the touchline by Paul Cooke to cut the gap to just three points.

But Wildcats regained their composure and made the points safe with late tries by Blaymire and Adam Watene - his first of the season.

Victory lifted Wakefield to joint sixth in the table, with defeat keeping Rovers rooted in relegation territory.

A frantic first half ended with Rovers down to 12 men after Mikali Aizue became the first man in Super League this season to be sent off.

The Papua New Guinea forward walked for a high, reckless tackle on White in the 34th minute.

Rovers had held the upper hand to that point with stand-off Cooke pulling the strings of a fast and furious attack.

Wildcats were forced to defend repeat sets on the back of the visitors' explosive approach play and the hosts' unforced errors.

Luke Dyer put Rovers in front in the 10th minute with his eighth try of the season.

And winger Byron Ford picked up a loose ball and raced in for the second try just after the half-hour mark.

Cooke missed the conversions but landed a nerve-settling drop goal for Rovers just before the break, while home half-back Paul March kicked a penalty between the tries to keep Wildcats in touch.

March's kicking kept Wakefield's noses in front throughout the second half.