For years the Black and White side of Hull looked forward to their derbies with keen anticipation of victory and securing bragging rights, but in recent times that excitement has turned to fear, fear of defeat and possibly humiliation at the hands of their fiercest rivals.
A victory by twenty-five points or more would put Hull Kingston Rovers into second place in the table, but a win for Hull FC, however unlikely, would put them two points clearer of London Broncos and bottom spot but with no hope of making the play-off and probably not of getting out of eleventh spot.
FC were given an eight-point start on the coupon and many of those wearing the colours of the home side would gladly take just an eight-point defeat before the kick off.
Logan Moy knocked on twenty from his own line as he looked to take a high kick, putting his side under early pressure. After a set restart Sauaso Sue hit a Matt Parcell pass at first receiver to ground by the left upright with just four minutes on the clock. Mikey Lewis added a simple conversion.
The second KR try came on twelve minutes, Mikey Lewis taking a superb Parcell offload and grounding at full speed a split second before going dead in goal. He added the conversion to his own try for a 12-0 lead, FC simply not at the races.
On sixteen Matty Storton ran through a massive gap in the FC defence on the ten-metre line for a walk-in try behind the sticks. Lewis was on target from under the shadow of the posts for 18-0.
As half time approached the game descended into pushing and shoving and bad mouthing between the players, Elliott Minchella being sin-binned on thirty-seven for dissent, followed by Brad Fash.
Good pressure from FC at the start of the second half saw them come close with Tiaki Chan being held up over the line on forty-five but a poor offload handed possession back to KR.
Joe Burgess was sin-binned on fifty-four for attempting to delay a twenty-metre restart. Within a minute Lewis Martin crashed over by the left corner flag, the video official disagreeing with Chris Kendall that the Airlie Birds winger lost the ball in the act of scoring in granting the try. Liam Sutcliffe added the conversion from the touchline.
FC were starting to play some decent rugby and on fifty-eight Logan Moy went over the top of the KR defenders to force the ball onto the ground. Sutcliffe was wide with his conversion attempt, FC still eight adrift.
Denive Balmforth was sin-binned for a late shot on Mikey Lewis on sixty-nine gave Hull FC a mountain to climb on the closing ten minutes.
Tom Opacic had a try ruled out on seventy-one after a pass was judged to have been made off t he ground after the tackle was completed.
FC made a real hash of clearing a loose ball near their line on seventy-eight after a Ryan Hall grubber towards the centre of the field, Minchella collecting the ball and scoring next to the sticks to add icing to the derby win cake. Lewis added the conversion for a final score of 24-10, the Robins up to equal second in the table.
Hull FC: Moy (T), Briscoe, Tuimavave, Sutcliffe (1/2 G), Martin (T), Trueman, Charles, Ese’Ese, Smith, Aydin, Lane, Sao, Gardiner. Subs: Litten, Balmforth (SB on 69), Fash (SB on 37), Chan. 18th Man: Litten.
Hull KR: Evalds, Burgess (SB on 54), Hiku, Gildart, Hall, May, Lewis (T, 4/4G), Sue (T), Parcell, Hadley, Storton (T), Tanginoa, Minchella (T, SB on 37). Subs: Opacic, Litten, Whitbread, Brown. 18th Man: Laidlaw.
Half-Time: 0-18.
Full-Time: 10-24.
Score Progression: 0-4, 0-6, 0-10, 0-12, 0-16, 0-18, (SB), (SB) : HT: (SB), 4-18, 6-18, 10-18, (SB), 10-22, 10-24 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: KR.
Referee: Chris Kendall.
