Watson surprised with emphatic victory

Salford Red Devils Head Coach Ian Watson has admitted he was “surprised” by his side’s emphatic 54-18 victory over Hull FC.

Both teams returned after five months in lockdown but it was Salford who claimed their biggest win of the season to climb away from the foot of the table.

The manner of how his side won left Watson stunned as well as delighted as he expected a fierce challenge from a Hull team, who were highly fancied by the pundits.

“Winning in such a fashion was a lot more than what I expected. I honestly thought it would be a tough game.

“They built some momentum well early on in the game. But I thought we handled it superbly.

“Some of the ‘off-the-cuff’ rugby we played today caught them by surprise.

“I am certainly not complaining. I am now hoping we can build on such a performance for the rest of the season.”

Half-back Tui Lolohea starred in the rout. Scoring two tries and seven goals helped him finish a total of 22 points.

The Tongan international returned to Emerald Headingley stadium but proved to be too unplayable for the ‘visitors’, with Watson more than impressed by his performance.

He added. “Tui Lolohea is a fantastic player. I thought he had a top game for us.

“His combination with Chris Atkin was spot on. Everything clicked today which was great to see.

“I thought he felt the pressure when he was at Leeds. But as you all saw today, we just let him enjoy his game and he certainly did.”