The heat is on boss Brett
TUIMAVAVE INJURY BLOW WHILE HULL WILT
Catalans 36 Hull FC 8
By STEVEN BRADY
HULL FC coach Brett Hodgson will be hoping for good news on star centre Carlos Tuimavave after a serious-looking Achilles injury.
In heatwave conditions in Perpignan, Hull wilted against Catalans with the potential injury blow to Tuimavave adding to their woes.
“It was very tough, very humid and it’s difficult in those conditions but we have no excuses for the defeat, we have to be much better,” said the Hull boss.
“Our immediate concerns are about the hole we are in with injuries and we are very concerned with Carlos Tuimavave.
“We’re in a hole but we’re not at panic stations just yet there is still a lot to play for.”
It was hot stuff early on, Mike McMeeken breaking a
Dragons captain Ben Garcia was sin-binned just before half-time for holding down in the tackle and early in the second half Hull centre Josh Griffin forced his way over from short range on the left. Luke Gale
couldn’t add the conversion.
But Garcia returned from the bin alongside Arthur Mourgue and they created space for Samisoni Langi to score on his return from injury and on his birthday. fierce set-for-set deadlock on 11 minutes after brilliant handling from scrum-half Tyrone May. Sam Tomkins kicked the conversion.
Tomkins added two more points We’re in a hole when Hull but we’re not stand-off Josh at panic stations Reynolds went just yet high in his tackle on Julian Bousquet but the addition of Sam Kasiano from the bench led to the next try.
A left-wing scramble involving Matt Whitley and Matthieu Laguerre saw the ball end up in the hands of winger Fouad Yaha who crossed in the corner, converted by Tomkins to make it 14-0 on the half hour.
A minute later, stand-off Mitchell Pearce broke through the Hull line 30-metres out and released Mickael Goudemand to finish under the posts,
Tomkins again on target.
The game was paused when Hull sub Jack Brown suffered an apparent ankle injury, replaced by Brad Fash, but they were quickly on the back foot.
Winger Tom Davies was held up short, then on his back over the line in the next set, followed by Laguerre losing control just as he was about to score.
Hull did benefit from a series of penalties and winger Darnell McIntosh latched onto a swift handling move to the right to score in the corner. Gale, though, was again off target.
With seven minutes left Pearce waltzed between the posts for a short-range try.
May sealed the win two minutes later with a 70metre handling move, Tomkins adding his sixth conversion.
CATALANS DRAGONS: Tries: McMeeken, Yaha, Goudemand, Langi, Pearce, May.
Goals: Tomkins (6).
HULL: Tries: Griffin, McIntosh.