Hull KR 14-18 Hull FC

Hull KR (14) 14
Tries: Cockayne, Welham Goals: Dobson 3

Hull FC (12) 18
Tries: Briscoe, Fitzgibbon, Tansey Goals: Tickle 3

Jordan Tansey claimed his third Super League try of the season

Jordan Tansey raced in for the winning try as Hull FC emerged victorious over their fierce rivals at Craven Park.

Hull KR led 8-0 inside the first eight minutes after Ben Cockayne's early interception try - and they were still 14-12 ahead at the interval.

But Danny Tickle's penalty tied the first Hull derby of the season at 14-14 before full-back Tansey won it when he went over in the left corner.

Hull KR had chances to win in the final 20 minutes but Hull FC held out.

It was their first win at Craven Park in four visits and the ideal way for Hull FC coach Richard Agar to mark his new two-year deal.

For Robins coach Justin Morgan, it was a fifth league defeat of the season as his side struggle to find the consistency that earned them fourth place last year.

After last Saturday's surprise defeat to Salford, it looked bad for Hull FC when they fell behind after three minutes.

Sean Long's loose pass was swooped on by Cockayne, who raced 40 metres to mark his 100th appearance for the club with a try.

Michael Dobson kicked the subsequent goal, then added a penalty after interference from Willie Manu.

But the Tongan forward redeemed himself, his defensive work being rewarded on 17 minutes when Tom Briscoe stepped over after an outstanding one-handed pass off the floor from Craig Fitzgibbon.

Rovers were quick to respond, Kris Welham brushing his way past Craig Hall's flaky tackle to score in the corner, Dobson kicking a touchline conversion.

But the pendulum swung back the visitors' way when Long and Fitzgibbon, with a combined age of 65, linked up for Hull's second try.

Long's kick bounced into the hands of the wily Australian forward, Tickle improving as Hull pulled it back to within two points at the break.

Hull substitute Epalahame Lauaki came on to add needle to the contest, trading punches with Cockayne before being penalised for landing a shot on the side of Clint Newton's head.

But the half-time hooter came at the right time as tempers threatened to boil over.

It took just three minutes of the second period for Tickle to tie the scores with a penalty.

But, despite applying heavy pressure, the Robins were unable to turn their dominance into points.

Just after the hour mark, Hull dealt a sucker punch when Tansey went in at the corner after an eye-catching move involving Long and Richard Horne.

England wing Peter Fox looked to have brought Rovers level late on, but the video replay called for by alert referee Richard Silverwood showed that Scott Murrell had knocked on in the build-up - and the 'try' was chalked off.

Hull KR coach Justin Morgan said:

"It hurts to lose games like this one but we didn't come up with the right play at the right time.

"Our aggression was great, our effort was excellent but we made some mistakes that they converted into points.

"Our execution was nowhere near the level that I would like. We could not find the final piece of the puzzle."

Hull FC coach Richard Agar said:

"We couldn't ask anything more of them. Even when we were behind I wasn't particularly concerned about where we were going.

"Our defence won it for us today. We were asked a lot of questions by Hull KR and by our penalty count. Our defence was asked some big questions and every single one was answered.

"We kept turning up for each other, whether on the edges or in the middle where we were absolutely rock solid. There was a lot of feeling in our tackles."

Hull KR: S Briscoe, Fox, Welham, Webster, Cockayne, I'Anson, Dobson, Vella, Murrell, Clinton, Newton, Netherton, Galea.
Replacements: Hodgson, Lovegrove, Watts, Wheeldon.

Hull FC: Tansey, Hall, Whiting, Yeaman, T Briscoe, Horne, Long, Cusack, Berrigan, O'Meley, Manu, Tickle, Fitzgibbon.
Replacements: Radford, Lauaki, Dowes, Houghton.

Referee: Richard Silverwood (Dewsbury).

Attendance: 10,089.