The winds of change have blown through Super League in winter but it appears in this part of the world at least, things remain very much the same as they have for the last few years.
Hull’s two rugby league clubs have gone on different trajectories in recent times. Rovers have been transformed from perennial relegation candidates to a side who reached last year’s Challenge Cup final and finished fourth, while FC have laboured at the wrong end of the table, albeit always clear of any real jeopardy when it came to the threat of relegation from Super League.
The last time these two sides met on this ground last year, when Rovers won 40-0, underlined the gulf between them. Those of a Black and White persuasion would have hoped that another winter of heavy recruitment would begin to turn that tide and while nothing is won or lost on the opening night, this would have been a chastening reminder that their great rivals hold superiority.
In front of over 20,000 fans – the biggest opening-night crowd since 2007 and second-highest of all-time – IMG and Super League officials must have hoped the 244th Hull derby would be a nerve-shredding affair. In reality it was extremely one-sided, who have now nilled their biggest foes in their own back-yard twice inside a year. As if defeat was not bad enough for Hull, it came at significant cost on multiple fronts.
The writing felt on the wall for the hosts before a ball had even been kicked when Liam Sutcliffe withdrew in the warm-up due to illness. By full time they had lost two more players to injury and were facing up to suspensions for two of their frontline pack, with Franklin Pele and Ligi Sao both having been sent off. Pele, who caught the Rovers captain, Elliot Minchella, with a swinging arm, appears set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines after receiving a red card 39 minutes into his Super League debut.
“We had a bit of disruption but on a good day you overcome those things, and we didn’t have a good day,” said Hull’s coach, Tony Smith. “Our opponents were too good for us tonight and they deserved it. They did enough.”
As disappointing as Hull were, their biggest rivals were very accomplished in all aspects. While Hull’s discipline cost them dearly, Rovers kept calm and that laid the platform for them to score two well-taken tries to lead 8-0, with Niall Evalds and Kelepi Tanginoa crossing on debut to put Rovers in control. Hull KR’s cause was helped further when Pele was sent off and in the final seconds before the half-time hooter, Mikey Lewis crossed for a wonderful solo try.
That made it 14-0 and the contest felt over. “I’m happy with the win and the way we defended,” said Hull KR’s coach, Willie Peters.
“In round one you want to win and you want to win against your rivals, which we did. We were clunky with the ball, we should have scored more points with the possession we had. But it’s round one. You’d like to score more points but obviously, I’m happy with the zero against.”
Everything that happened in that first half meant the second felt like something of a non-event. A man light, Hull never really threatened the Robins’ line and when Matt Parcell crossed on the hour for the visitors’ fourth try to make it 18-0, the game petered out as a contest. The only remaining drama came in the final few minutes, with two more cards issued by the referee, Liam Moore: something fans can expect to see more of this year following the tightening in the rules surrounding head contact.
Pele’s dismissal would have been a red card in any era but the new rules were apparent when Matt Parcell was sent to the sin-bin for foul play, with Sao’s retaliation – he appeared to knee Parcell in the head – earning him a straight red.
By that point, Rovers fans were already celebrating another comprehensive victory – celebrations further enhanced in the dying seconds when Evalds crossed for his second try to further emphasise who the dominant rugby league force is in this city.
