Fylde face a very tough challenge when they visit the Ferens Ground to take on Hull RUFC on Saturday (ko 14.00). Although Fylde are in 5th place in National 2 (North) have a 15 point advantage over the East Yorkshire club in 8th, on the evidence of the game between the two clubs on 6th January at the Woodlands then the visitors will be hard pressed to come away with league points. Although on paper Fylde’s 38-5 win looked like a walk in the park, it was anything but. Hull had 70% of territory and possession and only Fylde’s heroic defence, and their ability to strike from anywhere on the pitch, was the difference between winning and losing.
Fylde’s form away from the Woodlands has been uneven and five of their six away defeats have been at Yorkshire clubs – Wharfedale (27-26), Rotherham (34-19), Leeds (30-17), Sheffield (34-28), Otley (46-22).
Hull has a pretty similar record, with six wins and five defeats at the Ferens.
Hull RUFC have a rather different set-up than Fylde in that they are a one team club, with no Mini-Juniors and sharing the Hull Sports Ground complex in the heart of the City with a variety of other sports clubs including football, lawn tennis, bowling and cricket.
They have been extremely successful in securing sufficiently large sponsorships to fund the 1st XV squad and the rest of the considerable expenses running a National League club. Their principal benefactor over many years have been construction company Beal Homes, with the owning family at times leading the governance as well as the financing of the Club.
There have been only eight previous league games between the two clubs, a sequence which began in 2009-10 when Hull took the honours with victories at the Ferens Ground by 31-25 and at the Woodlands by 16-25. The following season saw this reversed with Fylde victorious by 37-8 at home and 9-31 in Hull.
With Fylde being promoted to National One at the end of that season, there was a gap of nine years before fixtures began again in 2019-20. In the campaign which came to an abrupt end in March 2020 when Covid 19 struck, the only game was in November at the Woodlands when the visitors edged home by 20-22.
On the restoration of fixtures post-Covid in 2021-22, Hull swept through the campaign to finish as outstanding champions and were promoted to National One (level 3) for the first time. Hull were relegated at the end of last season so fixtures between the two clubs began again in early Jan 2024 when Fylde came out on top by 35-8. Overall, Hull hold the bragging rights with a 5-3 win advantage and Fylde’s only victory at the Ferens being back in 2010-11.
The Hull pack includes some powerful, quality, experienced personnel including front rowers, props Jamie Major, Tomas Bairstow and ex-Premiership veteran Charlie Beech, and hooker Michael Jobling. Bairstow had a fine game at the Woodlands in January highlighted by a burst from halfway chasing a kick through and racing over for Hull’s only try. Powerful locks Paulos Latu and Liam Regardsoe are supported by backrowers including David Halaifonua, Alex Renouf and no 8 Will Hall.
Their backline is led by their flyhalf. the influential Reece Dean (formerly with Hull FC), who was the star of Hull’s victory at the Woodlands in April 2022. Dean is the principal goal kicker and has amassed 232 points to date ranking him 3rd in the list of top scorers in the division. Dangerous strike runners, each with nine tries to date, include centre Peter Hudson-Kowalewicz and US international RL wing, fullback or centre Bureta Faraimo. Amongst his other clubs Faraimo was with Doncaster RLFC in the RFL League One after previously playing for the Parramatta Eels in the NRL and Hull FC in the Super League.
Fylde’s pack will have to play at their best to negate the power of the home side. Amongst their backs, they will continue to miss centre Sam Stott who broke his nose at Otley. The selected squad will appear here later. If winger Ben Turner is included, it will be his 50th game for the Club. Greg Smith is currently on 199 points for the season so will hope to break the barrier in what has been another productive campaign for the fly-half.