HULL FC 14 HULL KR 28
TOM ALDERSON, MKM Stadium, Friday
HULL KR tightened their grip on top spot in Super League with their second derby victory on enemy territory in just two weeks as they overcame a spirited Hull FC side that played over an hour with twelve men.
The dismissal of Cade Cust for a high tackle on Arthur Mourgue after just 16 minutes sent most of a sell-out MKM Stadium crowd into meltdown.
In the face of a stirring Hull fightback in the second half, Rovers eventually regained their composure to claim back-to-back derby spoils after their recent Challenge Cup success.
Hull were valiant and played with resilience that defied their circumstances to cut the gap to just two points late in the game, but, in the end, a dominant final quarter of an hour from the visitors sealed the win as the hosts ran out of gas.
The Robins opened the scoring inside ten minutes as a crafty short-side raid from Mikey Lewis created space to release Oliver Gildart from 30 out to get them on the board.
The game then erupted in spectacular fashion as Hull went a man down, with Cust shown a red card for an ugly high tackle on the Robins fullback in pursuit of a Will Pryce kick.
And the visitors soon made the man advantage count, with fast hands down the left resulting in a well-taken try to Peta Hiku to go two scores up.
Hull hit back with a try to Jack Ashworth. Following a KR mistake in their own half, a teasing kick from Sezer close to the line was collected to open the hosts’ account after 24 minutes.
With the game in the balance, it took a piece of individual brilliance from Mourgue to deal a hammer blow just before half-time.
The nimble fullback danced his way past defenders and squeezed the ball onto the whitewash for a converted try to put the Robins 4-16 up at the break.
The hosts cut that deficit with the first try of the second half to Tom Briscoe, who finished a slick left-to-right shift in the corner.
The Black and Whites then made it back-to-back tries through Jordan Rapana, splitting the KR line and beating the fullback to score, making it a two-point game heading into the final quarter.
However, Rovers composed themselves and produced the try of the game to wrestle back control.
Following a Gildart break up-field, the Robins kept the ball alive through eight sets of hands before James Batchelor touched down to open up a two-score lead once again.
The game was put to bed on the next set through another KR try, this time to Jared Waerea-Hargeaves who, after FC were unable to deal with a Lewis kick, dived in acrobatically for his first try in Rovers colours in front of the jubilant away fans.
GAMESTAR: Arthur Mourgue, having passed an HIA early in the game, had a huge impact on the game. The diminutive fullback scored a crucial try and came up with some big defensive plays when Hull threatened to fight back.
GAMEBREAKER: Back-to-back tries from Hull KR in the final stages of the game put the issue to bed after Hull’s spirited fightback.
HIGHLIGHT REEL: James Batchelor’s try was the culmination of Hull KR keeping the ball alive brilliantly, from one edge to the other, for the try of the game.
ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Arthur Mourgue (Hull KR)
2 pts Jez Litten (Hull KR)
1 pt Jordan Rapana (Hull FC)
MATCHFACTS
HULL FC
6 Will Pryce
5 Tom Briscoe
1 Jordan Rapana
20 Davy Litten
22 Lewis Martin
14 Cade Cust
7 Aiden Sezer
8 Herman Ese’ese
9 Amir Bourouh
40 Liam Knight
4 Ed Chamberlain
3 Zak Hardaker
13 John Asiata
Subs (all used)
16 Yusuf Aydin
17 Jack Ashworth
25 Denive Balmforth
39 Sam Eseh
18th man (not used)
27 Matty Laidlaw
Also in 21-man squad
23 Logan Moy
30 Callum Kemp
32 Will Kirby
Tries: Ashworth (24), Briscoe (50), Rapana (58)
Goals: Pryce 1/3
Dismissal: Cust (16) – high tackle
HULL KR
35 Arthur Mourgue
2 Tom Davies
3 Peta Hiku
4 Oliver Gildart
5 Joe Burgess
6 Mikey Lewis
7 Tyrone May
8 Sauaso Sue
9 Jez Litten
10 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
11 Dean Hadley
12 James Batchelor
13 Elliot Minchella
Subs (all used)
15 Sam Luckley
16 Jai Whitbread
18 Jack Broadbent
20 Kelepi Tanginoa
18th man (not used)
21 Jack Brown
Also in 21-man squad
19 Danny Richardson
27 Leon Ruan
33 Harvey Horne
Tries: Gildart (8), Hiku (19), Mourgue (38), Batchelor (65), Waerea-Hargreaves (68)
Goals: Mourgue 3/5, Lewis 1/1
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-10, 4-10, 4-16; 8-16, 14-16, 14-22, 14-28
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Hull FC: Jordan Rapana; Hull KR: Arthur Mourgue
Penalty count: 9-5
Half-time: 4-16
Referee: Liam Moore
Attendance: 21,018
