It may not have been pretty, but try telling any Hull FC supporter that matters. In this part of the world, there is only thing that matters: beating the old enemy and this result could have a huge impact on both clubs’ Super League playoff aspirations.
The 243rd Hull derby will not be recalled as a classic. But given how these two sides started the day four points apart, it will be remembered as significant. When Hull FC were beaten 40-0 by Hull Kingston Rovers on Good Friday, the Black and Whites looked more likely to be in a battle for survival rather than the playoffs, and Rovers seemed certainties to make the top six. But now, after a run of six wins in nine games for Tony Smith’s side, the latest of which was this scrappy derby triumph at the home of their greatest rivals, they are separated by just two points. It was far from Hull’s best performance, but it could be their most important.
