Super League: Craig Hall kicks drop goal to settle Hull derby
Craig Hall slotted over a last-minute drop goal to give Hull KR a 21-20 win over Hull FC at the KC Lightstream Stadium.
By Rob Lancaster
Last Updated: 17/04/14 11:22pm
The Robins led 10-4 at half time and then 20-10 with just over an hour gone, only for their city rivals to fight back and draw level on each occasion.
Fetuli Talanoa dived over in the left corner for the Black and Whites in the 75th minute to raise the possibility of a first Super League draw between the teams.
However Hall - in the team due to an injury to Kris Keating - succeeded where team-mate Travis Burns had failed, sending over a late one-pointer that extends the Robins' winning run in league action to four matches.
Errors
Unsurprisingly for a clash between arch rivals there were big hits and handling errors aplenty, particularly in an opening half that saw Hull KR take control after they recovered from conceding first.
Rovers were forced to withstand three successive sets in the early stages before eventually seeing their defensive line breached after 12 minutes, Jordan Rankin working his way through a two-man tackle to stretch out and score.
The opening try had come off the back of a penalty against Burns for illegal use of the forearm, but the half-back made amends when he produced a 40-20 that led to Kevin Larroyer waltzing over for his third try of the campaign.
It seemed the score would remain level at 4-4 going into the break until Michael Weyman ploughed his way over in the final few minutes, the forward following up the first brace of his career in the away win over Warrington last time out by touching down despite the attentions of three defenders.
Burns used his boot to good effect again to add the extras, though it took the visitors just three minutes after the re-start to wipe out the deficit.
Josh Bowden accepted ex-Rovers prop Liam Watts' offload to cut down the middle and score a try that left Richard Whiting an easy conversion in front of the uprights.
Both sides saw the television official deny them further tries in a third quarter punctuated often by referee James Child calling for help. Rhys Lovegrove was adjudged to have lost the ball before Burns did superbly well at the other end to turn Jamie Shaul onto his back and hold the full-back up.
Frustrated
The replays wiped out a potential second score from Larroyer due to a shoulder charge at the start of the play, leaving home coach Craig Sandercock looking rather irritated in the stands.
He will have been relieved when Childs didn't ask for assistance over either of Horne's tries, the second of which saw him finish a rather scrappy set by hacking forward twice with his left foot and then dropping on the loose ball.
The quick-fire double from the former Hull FC man, which sandwiched the introduction of his brother, Richard, off the visiting bench, gave Rovers some breathing space, and they looked to have moved out of sight when Kris Welham capped a flowing move down the left by racing to the line.
Their elation quickly turned to frustration when replays ruled it out for offside, keeping Hull FC afloat. They responded with Danny Houghton darting over from dummy-half, a try given by a very busy video official.
A blind-side move involving Richard Horne and Kirk Yeaman set up Talanoa to make it 20-apiece, but Whiting failed with the touchline kick that would have put the Airlie Birds ahead. It was a miss that proved crucial as Hall knocked over the game-winning score with seconds remaining, giving Rovers local bragging rights.