As so often happens in rugby, the outcome of a game comes down to the kickers. And Saturday’s derby at Ionians was another example as to how a reliable kicker can be the game winner. While Lewis Minikin missed crucial kicks at goal for Ionians, Simon Humberstone held his nerve to land a late penalty that left the home side needing to score a converted try to win their seventh successive derby. They were unable to do so as Hull’s defence held on to see the game out. Humberstone was glads to seal the win and paid tribute to the pack for doing the hard work so he can do the easy bit.
“Unfortunately I missed a couple of kicks earlier in the game, but it was nice that the ones went over when they did,” Humberstone said.
“The boys up front do a great shift for us and I have the easy job of kicking.
“They get their heads dirty every week and I just have to knock a few kicks over.
“It was a typical derby I suppose.
“It was one of those games where we got off to a good start and we were reigned back in and we really had to dig deep to get the victory in the end.
“It summarises us pretty well as a group. There were a few players finishing the game on one leg but we managed to get over the line.
“We’ve gone slightly better than we expected in the first half of the season.
“We wanted to kick on from where we were before lockdown which I think we’ve done.
“Now, it’s about getting some rest in the lads and 2022 starts big with Stourbridge visiting us at Chants Ave.”
HULL RUGBY UNION FOOTBALL CLUB 