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MATCH REPORT: HULL FC 28-16 HULL KR
Sunday 17th January 2010
Horne created two of the Hull FC tries for Mark Calderwood and Ewan Dowes to cancel out Liam Colbon's early score for Rovers whilst Jordan Turner's late first half score sent the home side in 16-4 at the break.
The Robins rallied in the third quarter of the match though with Clint Newton and Chaz I'Anson pulling Rovers level before Tom Briscoe and Richard Whiting both crossed to send the majority of the 16,206 crowd home happy.
Justin Morgan handed debuts to new signings Michael Ratu and Matt Cook in the starting line-up with young Jack Latus also making a first team debut at full-back. Former Hull FC hooker Josh Hodgson started on a bench which also included other debutants Richard Beaumont and Frankie Mariano as 25 players were given a first taste of match action in 2010.
The Black and Whites named a near full strength line-up with new captain Sean Long pairing with Richard Horne in the half-backs whilst Epalahame Lauaki and Craig Fitzgibbon also debuted.
An early foray into the Hull FC half yielded the first points of the afternoon for Rovers after just three minutes. Michael Dobson picked the ball up on the 20 metre line and dabbed the ball to the left hand corner and as Jordan Tansey and Calderwood hesitated Colbon gathered the ball and went over in the corner.
A first real threat to the Robins line came on the ten minute mark as back-to-back penalties got the hosts within striking distance. However, Danny Houghton was caught in possession and after winning a penalty of their own it was soon Rovers looking likely to score.
Some good scrambling defence got Richard Agar's men off the hook before crossing gave a relieving penalty to the home side.
After a relatively subdued opening ten minutes the game was beginning to come to the boil as Hull FC were the next to threaten and when Long's grubber bounced wickedly in front of Latus he couldn't gather and the Rovers defence had more pressure to withstand.
The line was holding firm under wave after wave of Black and White attacks, with Dobson another forced to deal with a viciously bouncing grubber, but the scrum-half just had the reach to slap the ball dead.
From the resultant drop-out Long came within millimetres of registering his first points for his new club. The experienced campaigner spotted a gap, dropped his shoulder and looked certain to score. But a combination of Kris Welham and Dobson somehow did enough to hold him up over the line.
On 22 minutes though the pressure told as Long sent Craig Fitzgibbon rampaging through a gap in the Rovers defence. Latus did well do stop him but as the ball was worked right to Horne, the stand-off showed a touch of class to weight a kick into the right hand corner where Calderwood was adjudged to have got downward pressure to bring the teams level.
Long was warming to his new home and after getting through a tackle his offload found Danny Tickle 30 metres out from the line. Tickle couldn't hold it though and there was another let-off for the men in red and white.
Time spent in the host's half was limited for Morgan's men but on the occasions they did venture into opposition territory they looked likely to score. Galea weaved in front of the defensive line on half-way and handed onto Ratu who pinned his ears back and raced to within ten metres of the line. He was brought down, won a penalty and despite the early promise of the attack it ultimately came to nothing.
Just after the half-hour mark and the Black and Whites took a deserved lead. Calderwood raced down the right flank after good handling set him free and as the Rovers defence looked to regroup the ball was given width left, with Horne on hand to once again fittingly make the telling contribution, timing the pass to Dowes to perfection who held off the attention of three tacklers to get the ball over the whitewash.
As half-time approached the visitors indiscipline came to cost them dear. Rovers were on the wrong end of a high penalty count throughout the game and after Newton was punished for a late shot on Long there was more pressure for the defence to deal with.
With the temperature on the field rising the home side kept their heads to work the ball right and into the hands of Turner who showed nimble footwork to cut inside from the right and send the home fans into raptures once again.
Tickle missed the conversion having slotted over the first two to give Hull FC a 16-4 half-time lead.
The visitors made a strong start to the second half, looking more slick and assured with ball in hand. Again there was early reward as on 46 minutes the ball was swept right and Dobson fed Newton who went largely untouched under the sticks from ten metres out.
Just as Long and Horne had been pivotal to Hull FC's strong first stanza display, it was now I'Anson and in particular Dobson who were beginning to exert their influence on the game. Again a visit to the opposition 20 metre zone brought points as Dobson played the ball right to I'Anson who capitalised on some slack tackling to go over for the try.
It took until the 57th minute for any real moment of concern for Rovers and it came of their own doing. Newton looked to offload as he spun out of the tackle but had the ball pinched by Tom Briscoe. Ratu held on to him though to prevent the England international racing in from 40 metres.
He wasn't to be denied some three minutes later though as Hull FC were rewarded a somewhat dubious penalty ten metres from the Rovers line. Making the most of the opportunity they worked the ball from right to left and some deft handling from Craig Hall gave Tom Briscoe the simple task of placing the ball down in the left hand corner.
The score sparked Agar's side into life and as with the first period they began to take more control of territory and possession. On 66 minutes they capitalised to extend the lead to twelve points as Whiting took the ball in the right centre channel, saw off the tackle of Welham and dived over.
There were a few more moments of worry before the full-time hooter sounded as Rovers scramble defence saved a couple of late tries but ultimately the day belonged to Richard Horne and Hull FC.
Teams:
Hull FC
Tansey, Calderwood, Turner, Hall, Briscoe, Horne, Long, Cusack, Houghton, Radford, Manu, Lauaki, Fitzgibbon.
Replacements: Washbrook, O'Meley, Tickle, Dowes, Whiting, Moa, Lyne.
Scorers: Calderwood, Dowes, Turner, Tom Briscoe, Whiting
Goals: Tickle (4/5)
Rovers
Jack Latus, Cockayne, Ratu, Welham, Colbon, Cooke, Dobson, Watts, Murrell, Netherton, Taylor, Cook, Galea.
Replacements: Beaumont, Briscoe, Webster, Lovegrove, Newton, Fisher, Mills, I'Anson, Hodgson, Spaven, Mariano, Sam Latus.
Scorers: Colbon, Newton, I'Anson
Goals: Dobson (2/3)
Referee: J. Child
Attendance: 16,204
