Hull FC gained revenge on Hull KR for their Good Friday hammering with a remarkable second half performance that resulted in a 16-6 win. The Black and Whites were second best in the opening period and failed to score, just as they had in that 40-0 hammering at the MKM stadium.
But three unanswered tries secured a massive win for Tony Smith’s side, who were irresistible during the second half. Hull KR simply couldn’t impact the game in the same way and they were made to pay for too many costly mistakes in possession as Adam Swift struck twice to take the game away from the hosts.
In the 243rd derby, Smith enjoyed a very happy return to his former club. The head coach must have delivered a special team talk at half-time as his side that looked troubled by the intense atmosphere in the first half came out and made the hosts pay in the second.
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The win puts a major dent in Rovers’ hopes and that will please Hull FC as much as anything, given they lost seven in a row at one point this season and are now in with an outside shout of the top six.
It looked like Rovers would bounce back from their defeat to Leigh Leopards last time out whenMikey Lewis created another try. He wriggled past two tackles before giving a wonderful offload to Jack Walker, who crossed on just his second appearance for the club to give the home crowd the dream start.
It was far from perfect however. Hull KR made errors in possession that allowed the Black and Whites back into it but KR’s defence held firm with several key tackles keeping their rivals out. Ethan Ryan drove two players out of play at key moments to the delight of the fans, but this was a key moment for Smith, who delivered a rocket to his players at half-time.
After the break though, his team got on the scoresheet. Adam Swift burst through the middle and then raced around the full back after a great offload from Cameron Scott. Jake Clifford levelled things with his boot at 6-6.
Tex Hoy’s hamstring issue forced him off seven minutes into the half but the game swung again when Shaun Kenny-Dowell was shown a yellow card after a reckless high tackle. The visitors took advantage of their extra man when Ligi Sao celebrated his new deal with his first try since 2021. He showed his power to burst through a tiny gap and get the ball down, just, over the line to put his side in front. Clifford made no mistake with the boot to put Hull FC 12-6 up.
This second half performance was something to treasure for the Black and Whites and they capped off the win with a few minutes to play as they found space on the left hand side and Swift yet again struck in the corner. It was as though Kingston Rovers had thrown all the punches in the first half, and had nothing in the tank for the second period.
It’s a famous victory that restores some of the pride for Hull FC after that hammering on Good Friday earlier in the season. That was without a doubt the low point of this season for Smith’s side, but now they can celebrate a win that keeps their faint play-off hopes alive.
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