Franklin Pele and Ligi Sao were both sent off as Hull FC’s hopes of kicking off the new Betfred Super League season with a win over their derby rivals Hull KR unravelled in spectacular fashion at the MKM Stadium.

New boy Niall Evalds led from the front with two tries as Rovers cruised to a 22-0 win which was helped by their opponents’ indiscipline after debutant Pele was red-carded for a needless swing at debutant Eliot Minchella on the stroke of half-time.

With the game long gone Tony Smith’s men suffered the indignity of finishing the game with 11 players after Sao was also red-carded for retaliation after kicking out following foul play by Matt Parcell.

If it was not as emphatic as the 40-0 thrashing inflicted by Rovers last April, it strongly suggested two sides with contrasting seasons in store, with Willie Peters’ new recruits easily outshining their largely anonymous FC counterparts.

Smith’s men might have feared it was not going to be their night when Liam Sutcliffe withdrew after the warm-up due to illness, then Joe Cator was also forced to limp off early.

But for all their ill luck, the black-and-whites were emphatically also the architects of their own demise, as a series of errors and rushes of blood to the head left them 14 points adrift at the interval.

Evalds needed seven minutes to mark his Rovers debut with the opener as he took a pass from Tom Opacic on the right and stepped inside to put the first points of the season on the board.

Mikey Lewis sent Kelepi Tanginoa through a gap for the second in a move that began with an error from Morgan Smith who needlessly kicked into touch on the full.

Hull responded with an overdue spell of pressure, Jack Walker’s high kick forcing an error from Rovers full-back Peta Hiku, who was perhaps the only visiting new boy not to excel.

But errors from Jayden Okunbor and Jack Ashworth sapped most of the momentum the home side could build, and the Hull defence stood off again as the superb Lewis skipped through again to take Rovers’ lead to 12.

Hiku nailed his first and only conversion of the night before the first period ended on a desperate note for the hosts, as Pele followed up a tackle on Minchella with a needless swing towards his opponent on the ground, prompting a mass confrontation and a red card.

Cam Scott spurned a chance to reduce the deficit for Hull early in the second half after another spill from Hiku, before Rovers camped on the hosts’ try-line and after Jai Whitbread and Ryan Hall were both held up, Parcell found the inevitable gap on the last to nail Rovers’ fourth try.

Tension boiled over in the last 10 minutes as Parcell was sin-binned for elbowing Sao in the ruck, only for Sao to see red after retaliating with a kick to the head.

Evalds completed the scoring in the final minute as he raced over on the right flank to the delight of the estimated 8,000 Rovers fans in the 20,014 opening night crowd.

Fa’amanu Brown has fought through the kind of adversity that makes the prospect of a long-awaited Super League debut amid the red-hot atmosphere of a Hull derby on Thursday night the easy bit.

One of nine siblings, Brown endured childhood poverty in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he shared a bedroom in a state housing complex with four brothers.

Packed off alone to chase his rugby league dream in Australia at the age of 17, Brown struggled with mental health and homesickness, then in 2019 sustained a foot injury and was told by surgeons he would never run again.

“I went through a lot of trauma in my life,” Hull FC star Brown told the PA news agency.

“I remember lining up to go to the Salvation Army because we didn’t have any clothes on our back. I know what it’s like to live in a car and come from nothing.

“All that stuff growing up, it made me and my siblings understand and appreciate life. Our parents worked in factories and we were determined to break the cycle. A lot of people take this game for granted, but for me, I’m just trying to make the most of it.”

Having successfully landed NFL deals with first Cronulla Sharks then Canterbury Bulldogs, Brown sustained a foot injury playing for the latter in 2019 that required three operations and led to his devastating diagnosis.

“I’d had a big build-up about the kind of player I was going to be in the future, and those injuries just knocked me down,” added Brown.

“I broke a bone in my foot and had limited blood supply, and the surgeon said I would never run again. I was 24 years old and I hadn’t even reached my peak.

“When I was told the news I just broke down and cried but I knew in myself that with my journey and where I’d come from, it wasn’t going to stop me doing what I love.”

Released by Canterbury that same year, Brown’s road to redemption began in the unlikely surroundings of Featherstone, with whom he spent an impressive 2021 campaign, culminating in a play-off defeat to Toulouse.

Brown spent the next two years back in Australia but did not have to be asked twice to pack his bags again when Hull FC head coach Tony Smith identified him as the player he wanted to form part of his crucial half-back pairing this season.

Despite snow slapping the windows of the Aviva Studios in Manchester during last week’s Super League season launch, Brown is thrilled to get the chance to finally feature in the English top-flight.

“I’ve always wanted to play Super League and here I am now,” Brown continued.

“My season at Featherstone obviously made me appreciate the weather more in Australia, but it made me more mentally tough and resilient being away from my family.

“I can’t wait to start with a Hull derby. A lot of people are talking about it and putting on a lot of pressure, but it’s nothing new. I’ve played in big games before and I’ll treat this game the same way.

“Now that I’ve finally made it to Super League, I’m just trying to make the most of it.”

Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson watched Nakhi Wells score his first EFL goal since February – and then admitted he was unsure why he had not ended up with a brace during a 1-1 draw at Hull.

Wells levelled the scores just past the hour mark but earlier had been denied by a very delayed flag in first-half stoppage time, after Jason Knight’s deflected drive had fallen to him six yards from goal.

The Tigers had earlier forged in front courtesy of Ozan Tufan’s fourth goal of the season but a confused Pearson said: “From what we were told about the offside rule in pre-season to what I am seeing now during the season, there’s a bit of confusion and we need some clarification about what constitutes a deflection to somebody in an offside position.

“People in football were not asked their opinion about it and I’d just say offside is offside and that the assistant should put the flag up straight away, but that won’t happen.”

Pearson was happier with his players’ overall efforts, arguing that the same character is now needed in home matches and that Hull only ended up with a share of the spoils due to some heroic, last-ditch defending.

“Apart from 10 to 15 minutes in the first half when we didn’t get it right in terms of how we pressed, I thought we played very well and created lots of chances,” he claimed. “I saw bravery out there with players wanting the ball and doing positive things on the pitch.

“We need to see that character in home games now because people talk about coaching and training, but the most important day in the week is match day.

“Sometimes though, away from home, it’s more straightforward to go with a gameplan that’s not about entertaining and we were conceding more ground, but it was like springing a trap and we are very good at that. They also defended their goal with a lot of commitment and but for that, I think we would have won comfortably.”

Hull boss Liam Rosenior admitted his team did have their backs to the wall more than he would normally like.

“When you go a goal up at home and don’t get three points, you have to view it as two dropped,” he reasoned.

“I thought the first 25 minutes was exactly what I wanted. Then we were trying to score with every attack and it became a bit of a basketball match, which suited Bristol City.

“I think if we had carried on playing the way we were and keeping possession, we would have exhausted Bristol City of their oxygen.

“But I also have great respect for Nigel Pearson’s teams. They were winning the ball back and played with four up front and two full-backs high up the pitch, so they were playing really offensive football as well.

“I was delighted with how we were putting bodies on the line and defending long throws, but it was happening too often. We then regained control after they scored and I felt that we could have won the game, but we could have easily lost it as well because it was really open.”

Explaining his decision to substitute the Championship’s early-season top scorer Tufan, Rosenior added: “Ozan has been magnificent for us, but he has an issue away from football that I can’t go into and I thought he was mentally exhausted.”

Hull KR coach Willie Peters knows any lingering memories of his side’s emphatic 40-0 derby win at the MKM Stadium in April will count for little when the city rivals meet again in a potentially pivotal Betfred Super League clash at Craven Park on Sunday lunchtime.

Rovers’ win gave Peters a best possible first taste of the derby drama whilst piling more misery upon Hull FC, who looked abject as they surrendered to a sixth straight defeat that appeared to leave the position of experienced head coach Tony Smith under serious threat.

Fast forward three months and it is injury-ravaged Rovers who are feeling the heat, scrabbling to cling onto a top-six slot while Smith’s men have belatedly stirred, their recent statement win over St Helens steeling them for a late play-off push that looked wholly improbable amid the wreckage of April.

Just as telling as the two sides’ form-lines this season are the respective attitudes of the two coaches as they head into a game that could go a long way towards defining their respective seasons, and for which the ‘sold-out’ signs have been hung over KR’s home for over a week.

Peters is intent on living and breathing every moment of his first home derby, which he describes as a “special occasion”, and which he firmly believes is precisely the right fixture to rejuvenate his ailing squad after last week’s disappointing reversal at Leigh.

But for Smith, who the baggage of being sacked as KR coach last season with him across the city, it is nothing to get excited about.

“Defeats all hurt,” insisted the 56-year-old veteran. “I’ve played against a lot of former clubs, and I was no more upset (after the derby) than some of the other games I’ve lost. What hurts is the manner in which you lost, and if we are not giving a good account of ourselves.”

Peters experienced a number of NRL derbies as a player and maintains there is nothing to rival the passion and noise levels of the east Yorkshire showdown, not least one which promises to shape the season run-in for both clubs so significantly.

“When I first came over here I was always told this was a special game and I experienced it first-half at FC’s stadium – obviously for the result but also the atmosphere and the build-up and everything the derby stands for,” said Peters.

“I knew it would be passionate but whilst I’ve experienced some great derbies, including the Roosters and the Rabbitohs, and the Dragons and Sharks, the crowd here is two or three times as loud.

“You can play it down and say it’s just another game but it’s not, it’s a special occasion. When you look back at your career you look at those moments that stood out the most and these are the moments – there is no doubt that performance we had last time is the best moment for the team this year.”

Both sides face selection dilemmas, with FC bolstered by the prospective returns of the likes of Tex Hoy and Liam Sutcliffe, whilst KR must reshuffle due to the absence of loose forward Eliot Minchella and the returns to Catalans of loan pair Tanguy Zenon and Fouad Yaha.

Smith’s return to Craven Park for the first time since his controversial departure is sure to give an already tasty tie an extra dimension but the veteran Black-and-Whites coach is unconcerned by the fiery welcome he can expect to receive.

“It’s the least of my concerns,” added Smith. “During my time, I have given my all to all of the clubs I was in charge of. For those who remember that, great. For those who don’t, that’s fine, I don’t care.

“I hope it’s a fantastic game that both sets of supporters can enjoy. I’m not one to encourage that rivalry to boil over into bitterness. I want people to enjoy rugby league for what it is. Whoever wins, the other tips their hat, and we move on.”

Jake Clifford returned to inspire Hull FC to their first win over St Helens in 17 attempts as they shrugged off the painful memory of last week’s Challenge Cup defeat with a blistering six-try performance at the MKM Stadium.

Just five days ago Josh Griffin’s sending-off for dissent cost his side a realistic chance of claiming a rare win over Paul Wellens’ men but Clifford – who had missed the Cup tie through concussion – delivered a 14-point haul to seal a 34-6 thrashing of the world champions.

Clifford, who was yet to turn professional the last time Hull beat Saints in 2017, set the tone by scoring the first try with less than seven minutes gone and set up the clincher for Cam Scott, before Darnell McIntosh rounded the night off in style with a devastating 70-yard burst.

Saints had swaggered into east Yorkshire on the back of six straight wins and suggesting they had recovered their best form in impressive recent wins over Huddersfield and Wigan.

But they were distinctly second best all evening, the visitors’ misery was compounded by glaring errors from the usually dependable duo of Lewis Dodd and Jack Welsby as Tony Smith’s men effectively sealed their win by storming into a 22-0 half-time lead.

Clifford opened the scoring when he stretched over from a short pass from McIntosh, then Carlos Tuimavave added a second after a burst from the impressive Andre Savelio after Dodd carelessly booted the ball into his arms.

Welsby’s moment to forget duly followed on 20 minutes, when he loitered over Jake Trueman’s kick, McIntosh squeezed past to flap the ball back and Trueman pounced to pat it down, Clifford’s second conversion taking Hull’s lead to 16.

Chris Satae found it far too easy to drive over just past the half-hour mark to score Hull’s fourth, and the first half damage could have been even worse for Saints after Davy Litten went over acrobatically in the corner but lost contact just before grounding.

Ears no doubt ringing from Wellens’ half-time team talk, Saints summoned the immediate response they required, when James Bell crossed under the posts after a storming run from Konrad Hurrell broke the Hull line for the first time.

With the half-time introduction of James Roby, Wellens’ men had added urgency, and there were signs of a momentum shift as Hull were forced to defend deep to repel a series of Saints attacks.

But the hosts emerged uncowed, and after surviving another difficult set they responded in style, Scott darting onto Clifford’s clever kick to twist over for his side’s fifth try.

Litten failed to ground another chance in the corner but McIntosh served up a fitting finale that sees his side shake off the memory of their early season woes and shaping up for an unlikely shot at the play-offs.