Hull 43-24 Leeds: Hull power past Rhinos in Challenge Cup semi-final
Last Updated: 01/08/17 8:24pm
Challenge Cup holders Hull turned on the style to book an immediate return to Wembley with a resounding 43-24 semi-final rout of Leeds.
Urged on by three-quarters of the sell-out crowd of 14,526 at Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium, the Black and Whites ran in seven tries to four to seal a 16th appearance in rugby league's famous knockout tournament.
Not even two spectacular tries from England winger Ryan Hall could prevent Hull breaking the Rhinos' eight-match winning run against the Black and Whites, who scored three tries in the last quarter to eventually run away with a match that was delicately poised at half-time.
Hull's imposing pack laid the platform for their second-half rout but it was Australian stand-off Albert Kelly who provided the spark on his return from a two-match injury absence, while his half-back partner Marc Sneyd kicked seven goals from seven attempts as well as a drop goal.
Hull, who ended their lifetime wait for a win at Wembley with last year's victory over Warrington, will meet Salford or Wigan in the August 26 final.
Leeds had nine players back after sitting out their 34-0 defeat at Wigan and England pair Hall and Kallum Watkins made the biggest impact.
In contrast, the Rhinos' other winger Tom Briscoe had a fairly miserable afternoon as his old club targeted his vulnerability under the high ball, while Hull's right winger Mahe Fonua had the misfortune to be up against Hall.
Briscoe, five-try hero in Leeds' last Wembley triumph in 2015, was spared embarrassment from his early knock-on when Hull second rower Mark Minichiello had a try disallowed for obstruction.
But Fonua had his pocket pinched when Hall outjumped him to touch down Joel Moon's high kick for the first try of the game and, after knocking on behind his own tryline trying to collect another Moon 'bomb', was beaten to Watkins' grubber by the England international as Leeds regained the lead on 32 minutes.
In between Hall's two tries, Kelly demonstrated neat footwork to slide through a hole in the Rhinos' defence for his side's first try and then played a key role in the scores that put them in front.
The former Hull KR man combined with Sneyd to get centre Carlos Tuimavave over five minutes before the break and gathered Sneyd's crossfield kick to send replacement prop Chris Green over his first try for 12 months.
The Black and Whites continued in the same vein at the start of the second half and, after failing to finish off a clear-cut scoring opportunity, left winger Fetuli Talanoa palmed the ball back from Sneyd's kick to get Tuimavave over for his second try.
Sneyd kicked his fourth conversion and slotted a 55th-minute drop goal to extend his side's lead to 25-12 and the one-pointer began to look a smart score when Watkins ran onto Danny McGuire's neat kick and held off the cover to score Leeds' third try on the hour.
However, the game was up for the Rhinos five minutes later when the outstanding Watts charged onto Kelly's short pass and proved unstoppable from 10 metres out and Hull ran amok in the last 10 minutes, with full-back Jamie Shaul sprinting 90 minutes for an opportunist score and front rower Scott Taylor forcing his way over from close range.
Leeds finished a badly-beaten side but at least had the consolation of rounding off the scoring through full-back Ashton Golding, with Watkins kicking his fourth goal.
