The most anticipated game of the Rivals weekend, and for the great people of Hull the season, was the derby match between the black and white, and red and white, sides of the city as FC took on KR with much more at stake than local bragging rights.

A Hull KR victory would see them open up a big gap between themselves in fifth place and the chasing pack of the Leeds Rhinos and Hull FC as they attempt to make the play-offs, while a home win would lift FC above the Rhinos into sixth spot and put them just 0.2% behind their arch enemies as the season run-in looms.

Despite the current league positions, it was the Black and Whites who were slight favourites with the bookies going into the game, KR with a four-point start on the handicap coupon.

FC were on the board within three minutes of the first whistle thanks to a flying score from Adam Swift after he took a miss-out pass from Jake Connor to go ten metres to ground. Marc Sneyd pulled his conversion across the front of the sticks.

Back to back dropouts and five successive defensive sets finally cost FC thanks to a sensational grounding from Jimmy Keinhorst as he grounded one handed with the rest of his body airborne over the sideline. Ben Crooks pushed his kick wide, the derby all square at 4-4.

FC gifted the ball to the Robins five from their own line on twenty-four despite Storton being held up over the line on the fourth tackle KR set up for a drop-goal, but Rowan Milnes pushed it wide. FC broke down the field and seeming scored through Carlos Tuimavave but the try was ruled out by the video referee for an obstruction in the build-up.

On thirty the Robins hit the front thanks to a delightful chip and chase from Milnes as he collected his own dink through from ten metres out to collect in an acre of space and dive over for the try. Crooks kicked the first goal of the day for a 10-4 lead.

Five from the interval Bureta Faraimo got a walk-in try down the right wing when Connor tapped a Sneyd kick into his hands after Danny Houghton had been held up over the line. Sneyd found his kicking boots to level things at 10-10.

When KR put the kick-off out on the full the Black and Whites issued a full punishment as they used three tackles to move downfield with Tuimavave going over off a Josh Reynolds pass to regain the lead with a minute left on the clock. Sneyd added the conversion to give the home side a 16-10 half time lead.

With four second half minutes on the clock Ben Crooks sliced through the FC defence for KR’s third try of the afternoon from twenty metres out. The Robins full-back added the conversion to his own try for 16-16.

On forty-eight Faraimo grabbed a second of the match after fast hands in a left to right move, the winger wrong-footing the cover tackler by stepping inside to ground. Sneyd pulled his conversion wide of the near upright.

A high tackle on Sneyd by Crooks allowed the FC half-back to kick a penalty to extend the lead to 22-16 with eighteen minutes left on the clock.

A thirty metre Sneyd drop goal on seventy-three extended the lead to seven and edged his side closer to the derby win but within a minutes Albert Vete took a pass three from the line and crashed his way over for a try. Crooks added the conversion, the margin just a single point.

Jordan Lane charged down an attempted drop goal with fifteen seconds remaining and as the two sides scuffled the final hooter sounded to herald the end of a classic match with FC the winners by a solitary point.

It was a fantastic derby afternoon in Hull with proceedings played out in an electric atmosphere between two dedicated and evenly matched sides. The lead ebbed and flowed with the emotions and the game went down to the closing seconds with the Airlie Birds just managing to hold on, taking the win and closing the gap in the battle for fifth place.

Hull FC: Connor, Swift (T), Scott, Tuimavave (T), Faraimo (2T), Reynolds, Sneyd (3G, DG), Sao, Houghton, Fash, Ma’u, Savelio, Lane. Subs: Brown, Cator, Shaul, Taylor.

Hull KR: Crooks (T, 3G), Hall, Kenny-Dowall, Minikin, Keinhorst (T), Takairangi, Milnes (T), Vete (T), Parcell, King, Linnett, Johnson, Lawler. Subs:  Sims, Litten, Storton, Maher.

Half-Time: 16-10.

Full-Time: 23-22.

Referee: Liam Moore.

Score Progression: 4-0, 4-4, 4-8, 4-10, 8-10, 10-10, 14-10, 16-10 : HT : 14-16, 16-16, 20-16, 22-16, 23-16, 23-20, 23-22  : FT.