Super League: Hull FC & Hull KR ready to put on Super League show in derby opener

It did not take new Hull FC signing Fa'amanu Brown long to learn about the importance of rugby league to people in the city of Kingston upon Hull.

The 29-year-old was out for a meal on the first day he set foot in the city with his partner, and was given some sage advice in the restaurant bathroom.

"Some guy came up and said 'there's a lot of pressure on you, good luck'," Brown told BBC Radio Humberside.

"This was in the bathroom. My first conversation was about the derby."

It is this goldfish bowl for players in Hull that makes the city a unique microcosm for rugby league, a true two-team city with a rivalry to match.

Hull FC's 2023 campaign was a disappointment, and as such head coach Tony Smith has sought to freshen things up with the arrivals of players like Brown, Jack Walker, Franklin Pele and Herman Ese'ese.

Brown, who arrives in Hull following his New Zealand Test debut and after a spell at Australian National Rugby League side Newcastle Knights, is relishing the excitement of the derby and the desire to see the Black and Whites succeed.

"There's a lot of pressure, but pressure makes diamonds," Brown added. "If you don't have pressure in your life then you don't grow.

"I'm so keen, a lot of the town talk about it, but I'm just trying to treat it like any other game, it's one game we've got to win. To play finals footy you've got to be consistent throughout the whole year."

What adds to the derby flavour in Hull, much like it does in St Helens and Wigan when those sides meet, is the proliferation of Hull-born players littered throughout both squads.

It is testament to the community game in and around the city, and also to the beacon-like attraction of playing for your club, whatever side of the city you reside.

For Mikey Lewis, it is the red and white of East Hull that provides his magnetic pull these days, despite his black and white roots, and the Hull KR maverick has enjoyed a rise to prominence - not only with the Robins but also with England, after a stellar autumn in the series win over Tonga.

Having been born here, feeling each derby win and loss with the respective emotions, Lewis knows what it means to those who will cram into the MKM Stadium on Thursday - because he lives it too.

"It's special for everyone involved, it's going to be massive," Lewis told BBC Radio Humberside.

"It's a massive occasion for the city, hopefully with more than 17,500 tickets sold, and it'll be massive for the game."

Home form went out of the window in 2023, with both sides firing off statement victories in their opponents backyard.

Rovers did it first, winning the Easter classic with a thumping 40-0 win, but Hull gained some revenge with a 16-6 victory three months later.

"It means nothing [home advantage], it goes out of the system, to get them first game with no-one in form is unpredictable," Lewis added.

"I've been in both situations over the last couple of years. The Good Friday derby was very special for the whole club and all the fans. Our performance was one of the most complete of the year and we enjoyed that.

"They came to us in July and they beat us, they were the better team and it's one of those when you lose the derby you don't want to be seen."

Tony Smith has named the majority of his off-season signings in the Hull FC squad, with Brown, Ese'ese, Pele, Walker, Jayden Okunbor, Jack Ashworth and Morgan Smith included.

Liam Tindall misses out through injury, as do existing squad members Carlos Tuimavave and Brad Fash.

Hull KR also feature a large contingent of their winter arrivals, with Peta Hiku, Niall Evalds, Oli Gildart, Jai Whitbread, Kelepi Tanginoa, Tyrone May and Joe Burgess all in contention to figure.

Willie Peters could field an all-new spine, barring the presence of hookers Matt Parcell and Jez Litten.

Hull (from): Hoy, Sutcliffe, McIntosh, F. Brown, Ese'ese, Houghton, Pele, Okunbor, Sao, Cator, Lane, Ashworth, Scott, Smith, J. Brown, Gardiner, Litten, Staveley, Martin, Jebson, Walker

Hull KR (from): Hiku, Evalds, Opacic, Gildart, Hall, Lewis, Sue, Litten, King, Hadley, Batchelor, Minchella, Parcell, Whitbread, Aydin, Tanginoa, Hall, May, Gorman, Tennison, Burgess