HULL FC went down 34-10 to Hull KR at Craven Park this afternoon.
Following a dismal first-half effort when they were 28-0 down, the Black and Whites rallied to score two tries before Rovers settled the issue on 70 minutes with a Kelepi Tanginoa effort.
It was FC’s sixth loss in seven games for Tony Smith’s men and Smith was interviewed by Sky Sports after the game, saying:
“Our second-half was much better but our first-half was just not good enough defensively. We weren’t good enough from the start,” Smith said.
“We got desperate in the second-half and started to defend like a desperate team, but you’ve got to do that from the start of rugby league games or you get hurt.”
What was Smith’s message at half-time?
“My message was to get desperate, stop watching the opposition and admiring what they are doing. They are a good attacking team and they can hurt you if you stand back watching them.
“We had to get amongst it and earn the right to get a foothold in the game. When I saw some of that second-half effort, it was encouraging.”
So what does the Hull FC boss tell his team to do now?
“We need to keep working hard and keep positive. When it gets though, some people fold but you need to be strong when it’s tough.
“We have to remain tough and work through it. Going through these times are horrible.”
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