Hull FC v Hull KR verdict as Robins hold onto top spot after ill-tempered Hull derby

Hull KR retained their grip on the Super League table as they beat Hull FC 28-14 in a gritty and ill-tempered clash at the MKM Stadium.

Here’s our verdict.

Action

Rovers have made a habit of starting fast and that’s exactly what they did in the second Hull derby of the month as they touched down through Oliver Gildart. Slipping through the line, Mikey Lewis turned on the style to put Gildart over the line from 40m and silence the home crowd early doors.

Then came the moment that potentially decided the game, with Cade Cust seeing red for a horrible shoulder to head contact on Arthur Mourgue. Cust was attempting to get on the end of a Will Pryce kick through, but clattered into the Frenchman recklessly, with replays realistically ruling out any mitigation.

That left Hull a man down for the rest of the contest and KR took full advantage with quick hands seeing Joe Burgess exploit the overlap before putting Peta Hiku over.

Hull rallied well and claimed their first points of the game when Jack Ashworth managed to beat Mourgue to an Aidan Sezer grubber and fall over the line.

However, they didn’t have enough to prevent the Robins from extending their lead just before the break as Mourgue cut back against the grain and stretched out to touch down and render the defensive efforts of Pryce and Yusuf Aydin meaningless.

The Black and Whites kept plugging away, though, and they found a second try of the game through Tom Briscoe, finishing a well worked move that went through the hands of John Asiata, Sezer and Jordan Rapana before the winger touched down in the corner.

With their tails up and a captain’s challenge going in their favour, the momentum was with the home side and they managed to pull the game back to within two points as Rapana stepped inside Joe Burgess and dotted down.

But, their lack of numbers caught up with them, as the Robins all but sealed the result as James Batchelor made the most of an enormous overlap to touch down in front of the red and white end of the MKM Stadium.

And, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves made sure of it, collecting a loose ball and diving over the line emphatically.

Star man

Arthur Mourgue. Made the difference for the Robins, providing a safe pair of hands under the high ball and spark with the ball in hand. Grabbed a try for his efforts, too.

Good day for

Hull KR. They didn’t have things all their own way, but the Robins dug deep and showed the mettle required to bounce back from their first setback of the season so far.

Bad day for

Cade Cust. Horrible shoulder to head contact on Arthur Mourgue saw him sent off in the 16th minute of the contest, leaving his side with 12 men for over an hour.

Bigger picture

Hull will take plenty from their performance against the Robins, but there can be no arguments about the result as KR strengthen their position at the top of the division. Hull need to bounce back against the might of Wigan and they’ll likely have to do it without Cust and Asiata, who was guilty of a late hit on Mikey Lewis.

Hull FC v Hull KR Teams

Hull FC: Will Pryce; Tom Briscoe, Jordan Rapana, Davy Litten, Lewis Martin; Cade Cust, Aidan Sezer; Herman Ese’ese, Amir Bourouh, Liam Knight; Zak Hardaker, Ed Chamberlain, John Asiata.

Bench: Yusuf Aydin, Jack Ashworth, Denive Balmforth, Sam Eseh

Hull KR: Arthur Mourgue; Tom Davies, Peta Hiku, Oliver Gildart, Joe Burgess; Mikey Lewis, Tyrone May; Sauaso Sue, Jez Litten, Jared Waerea-Hargreaves; Dean Hadley, James Batchelor, Elliot Minchella.

Bench: Sam Luckley, Jai Whitbread, Jack Broadbent, Kelepi Tanginoa.

Another win in West Hull 😁#UpTheRobins🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/ZzAbBrRmld

— Hull KR (@hullkrofficial) April 18, 2025