Hull KR 18-10 Hull FC: Matt Parcell scores debut try to lift Robins off the bottom
Parcell helps consign former club Leeds to foot of Super League
By Ben Grounds
Last Updated: 28/06/19 12:34pm
Matt Parcell marked his Hull KR debut in style as his try sealed a vital 18-10 derby win over Hull FC at KCOM Craven Park.
Parcell joined the Robins on a temporary basis from Leeds earlier this week and scored the clinching try in a win that moves his new side from 12th to 10th and sends his old one to the bottom.
It was also a first taste of Hull derby success for new coach Tony Smith, with Rovers taking the bragging rights in the city.
In the match dubbed 'The Decider' following one derby win apiece this season, neither side could be separated at the break after Bureta Faraimo and Ben Crooks traded early tries in a physical first half.
Handling errors from both meant the scores remained 6-6 until Joel Tomkins nudged the home side ahead for the first time 10 minutes after the restart.
Andre Savelio cut the deficit to two points with 15 minutes remaining to set up a nervy finale but Parcell rounded off a much-needed and deserved Rovers victory with a debut try.
Ryan Shaw had the first opening as he broke down the left wing but Ratu Naulago was quick enough to haul him back and the visitors capitalised on the first infringement by the Robins in the ninth minute.
Hull worked their way downfield before Marc Sneyd found Faraimo with an inch-perfect kick to the left corner, with the USA international celebrating his new contract with a try.
However, the hosts hit back six minutes later when a superb break by Adam Quinlan set him free and the full-back had the composure to kick through for former Hull favourite Crooks to dot down.
The Black and Whites should have hit the front again when Faraimo broke down the left edge but his forward pass to Sneyd denied what would have been a certain try.
Rovers had a score ruled out for a foot in touch before they had a glorious chance as Parcell sliced through the Hull defence and put in Shaw, but Naulago once again denied the left winger.
Hull should have moved back ahead when Sika Manu knocked on with the line at his mercy before Danny McGuire went up the other end after breaking through, however Shaw slipped with just the whitewash in sight as Black and Whites somehow held out until half-time.
The hosts saw another chance go begging when Quinlan's pass was knocked on and the home crowd exploded into life when Weller Hauraki put a huge hit on Scott Taylor.
And the Craven Park faithful erupted once again in the 50th minute when a neat Josh Drinkwater grubber kick was collected by Tomkins to put Rovers into a 12-6 advantage.
Handling errors continued to ruin Hull's attack, but they had a lifeline when Jake Connor created a gap in the Rovers defence for Savelio to power over for his first Hull try.
Sneyd's missed conversion looked to be the difference but Parcell crashed over in the corner to cap off a spirited performance from the hooker and his team-mates to claim the Clive Sullivan trophy.
The coaches
Hull KR coach Tony Smith: "I'm pleased for the players. They are working hard and they got their good rewards. It could have easily have gone either way.
"I'm really proud of the rugby league my players played today.
"We are not that far off. I'm really encouraged by our play and some of the attack and in the defence.
"We consider that our best rugby league is still to come, and we are working hard on that and in a few weeks' time we could be in a lot better position.
"We realise we have to work hard on defence and it's not quite there yet, but it's work in progress."
Hull FC coach Lee Radford: "It was a deserved result I felt," he said. "We highlighted earlier in the week how important this fixture was to them and how good we had to be.
"In derby games, you have to outfight and outscrap the opposition and ride momentum.
"I thought we got outfought and outscrapped by the way we played in the first half. We went really lateral early, we made errors and our kicking game was off. We were nowhere near tonight."
