Hull KR moved to the cusp of winning their first League Leaders’ Shield after inflicting a sixth successive derby defeat on their arch rivals, Hull FC, to cement their position at the top of the table.
Only a mathematical miracle will now prevent Willie Peters’s side from finishing the regular season on top for the first time in the summer era. They have been the best team all year and were once again worthy winners here in a hostile and ill-tempered derby that had huge ramifications for both clubs.
Victory for Rovers means they are now four points clear of second-placed Wigan with two rounds remaining but crucially they also possess a far superior points difference over the reigning champions. They will guarantee the League Leaders’ Shield with one more win but in reality they are already practically there.
And having won the Challenge Cup this summer it means Rovers, who had not won a major trophy for 40 years before this season, now have two in a matter of months and are two-thirds of the way towards a historic treble for the club.
As for Hull, this defeat means they remain outside the playoff places with two games left and they may have to win both to make the top six. They trailed in a pulsating derby by four points at half-time here after Noah Booth’s try following a fine piece of play from the Robins.
Five minutes after the restart they opened up a two-score lead when Jez Litten scampered over for a fine try that put real daylight between the teams for the first time. Hull were far too profligate in possession all afternoon and they never really troubled Rovers’ defence seriously on too many occasions.
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By the time they scored their one and only try with nine minutes left through Tom Briscoe, the game had already gone given how Rovers went further ahead courtesy of Jack Broadbent’s fine try. And when Tom Davies crossed for the Robins’ fourth with five minutes left, it added further gloss to a deserved win for the league leaders.
