Hull FC 52-24 Leeds: Rhinos back to winning ways
Last Updated: 14/04/17 5:58pm
Leeds ran in eight tries as they bounced back from defeat at Warrington by thrashing Hull FC 52-24 at the KCOM Stadium.
Liam Sutcliffe added nine goals as Leeds got their season back on track with their biggest victory at the Black and Whites.
The Rhinos had seen a four-match winning streak come to an end with their 25-14 loss at Warrington last time out but Brian McDermott's side clinically saw off the challenge of Hull, with the visitors storming into a 30-12 lead by half-time.
Hull continued to battle and managed to get back within eight points at one stage midway through the second half, but two yellow cards cost them as they ended up shipping more than 50 points for the second successive game.
Danny McGuire opened the scoring after six minutes with a short-range try but Leeds were ahead for just four minutes before Steve Michaels rose high to gather Albert Kelly's accurate kick to touch down. Mark Sneyd converted from the touchline to tie the scores at 6-6.
Leeds' response was impressive, though, with the Rhinos running in three tries in seven minutes.
Ryan Hall went over in the left wing before Matt Parcell continued his recent impressive scoring form by collecting a fifth try in six games.
The visitors continued their dominance as Joel Moon added another try, with all three converted by Sutcliffe to give Leeds a commanding 24-6 lead after just 24 minutes.
With Leeds threatening to run away with the game, Hull coach Lee Radford decided it was time to introduce skipper Gareth Ellis from the bench.
And not only did his arrival stem the stream of Leeds attacks, it also helped Hull gain a foothold in the game as Scott Taylor powered his way over for a score that Sneyd converted to make it 24-12.
That was a boost for the hosts heading into half-time, but they were knocked back on their heels again as Leeds added six more points before the interval.
Moon crossed for his second try of the match and although Sutcfliffe was unable to slot over his conversion - his first miss of the game - the 22-year-old made up for it with a penalty after the hooter, giving dominant Leeds a deserved 18-point lead at the break.
Hull needed a quick response in the second half to stand any chance of getting anything from the game, and it came from full-back Jamie Shaul.
Shaul ripped through the Leeds defence from inside his own half to score a superb individual try. Sneyd converted and suddenly Hull's hopes were lifted as they trailed only by 12, with expectations further raised as Sutcliffe saw his penalty attempt five minutes after drift wide.
However, when he was gifted another chance moments later, Sutcliffe made no mistake.
From the restart McGuire was sin binned for slowing play down after Hull regained possession as the alert Liam Watts made good progress after catching the loose ball.
Hull quickly made the most of their numerical advantage to cut Leeds' lead to 32-24 thanks to a converted try for Mark Minichiello.
But the hosts suffered a huge setback soon after when they too were reduced to 12 men as Ellis joined McGuire in the sin bin.
From the resulting penalty, Sutcliffe added two more points to extend the Rhinos' lead to 10 points.
Leeds did not look back after that with Kallum Watkins pushing them further clear when he somehow managed to ground the ball in the right-hand corner before Sutcliffe nailed the touchline conversion.
In the closing stages, Sika Manu become the second Hull player to see yellow for his tackle that forced Sutcliffe to leave the pitch early.
The visitors finished strongly with Mitch Garbutt scoring his first try of the season before Anthony Mullally wrapped things up, with Rob Burrow converting the final try in the absence of Sutcliffe.
