Hull KR 16 Hull FC 4: Determined Robins end three-year wait for home derby with win over Black and Whites

Rovers have come a long way since 2019 and they underlined that progress by winning the big moments in a nervy game.

The team selected by Tony Smith featured only two survivors from the last meeting with Hull FC at Craven Park and it was a player who has spent the past year out in the cold who produced the game-breaking play.

Ethan Ryan was making only his second Super League appearance since last May due to wrist issues and he showed the Robins what they had been missing. His stunning burst from deep laid on a second try for Lachlan Coote and ended Hull's challenge.

Composure was in short supply throughout a frenetic derby that Hull never looked like winning. The Black and Whites quickly responded to Ryan Hall's 29th-minute opener through Josh Reynolds but that was as good as it got for Brett Hodgson's side in a 16-4 defeat.

A third straight Super League win was enough to take Rovers level with their rivals in the table and will only increase the belief that they can make the play-offs again in 2022.

The players were greeted by a wall of noise when they entered the arena and the opening salvo did not disappoint as the sides set the tone for an enthralling contest that was high on intensity if not quality.

Derby games can be a war of attrition in the early stages but both teams were happy to give the ball some air as they scanned for weaknesses. Hall found one when he brushed off Reynolds inside his own 20 and galloped into Hull territory.

The winger did not have the legs to evade Jake Connor but the Robins had the visitors scrambling. Rovers were guilty of overplaying later in the set and that theme continued as the game approached the quarter mark.

Derbies can do funny things to players and that was evident in some uncharacteristic errors from both sides. When the first try came it owed to the first period of sustained pressure from either team.

After Jordan Abdull earned Rovers a drop-out, the hosts worked their way towards the Hull line where Coote dribbled a nice kick in behind and Hall was on hand to finish.

The game had been crying out for a try and two of the most experienced players on the field combined to deliver. KR had a grip on the derby but it soon slipped as the Black and Whites quickly hit back through Reynolds.

Sam Wood shot the line to put pressure on the Hull half-backs and he lived to regret that decision, Reynolds putting Josh Griffin through the hole left by the Rovers centre before taking a return pass to dive over in front of the jubilant away supporters.

Luke Gale typified the lack of composure on show when he struck the upright with a relatively straightforward conversion, leaving the sides locked at 4-4 approaching half-time.

Abdull saw a drop-goal attempt sail wide to signal the end of an evenly fought opening 40 minutes. The game settled down after the restart and it was the Robins who struck next through Coote on the back of a contentious call by referee James Child.

The ball appeared to go backwards after Darnell McIntosh spilt Abdull's towering kick but Child gave a knock-on and straight from the scrum Coote went over after good work by Wood.

Coote added the extras from out wide and he was over again minutes later thanks to a moment of brilliance by Ryan. Ryan has had to be patient in the opening months of the season but he made a seamless return in his first Super League outing since August.

The winger came into his own after fielding a kick inside KR's 20, evading two would-be tacklers courtesy of sharp footwork before racing up towards halfway and giving Coote a clear run to the line.

The full-back made it 16-4 from in front and left Rovers needing one more score to put the game to bed. Coote twice broke the line but could not find the final pass to give Hull a sniff heading into the final 15 minutes.

In the end, the Robins saw out the game comfortably with the biggest talking point in the closing stages an alleged bite by Brad Fash on Elliot Minchella.

Hull KR: Lachlan Coote, Ethan Ryan, Sam Wood, Shaun Kenny-Dowall, Ryan Hall, Rowan Milnes, Jordan Abdull, Will Maher, Matt Parcell, George King, Kane Linnett, Frankie Halton, Elliot Minchella. Substitutes: Matty Storton, Jez Litten, Jimmy Keinhorst, Greg Richards.

Hull FC: Jake Connor, Adam Swift, Carlos Tuimavave, Josh Griffin, Darnell McIntosh, Josh Reynolds, Luke Gale, Ligi Sao, Danny Houghton, Brad Fash, Andre Savelio, Manu Ma’u, Joe Lovodua. Substitutes: Chris Satae, Jordan Lane, Kane Evans, Jack Brown.

Referee: James Child.