Scott Taylor's late try, his first in four years, sealed the win for Hull FC; Liam Sutcliffe, Cam Scott, and Adam Swift also crossed the whitewash for the Black and Whites; Rohan Smith's Leeds Rhinos have now lost their opening two matches of the 2023 Super League season
Friday 24 February 2023 22:49, UK
Scott Taylor's late try secured Hull FC coach Tony Smith the family bragging rights and heaped more misery on Leeds after a topsy-turvy Super League tussle at Headingley.
The Rhinos, led by Smith's nephew Rohan, had looked set to bounce back from their opening-night mauling by Warrington when David Fusitu'a jinked over in the corner with less than 10 minutes left on the clock.
But a spill by the otherwise excellent Rhinos debutant Nene Macdonald gave Hull the chance to press the Leeds line again, culminating in Taylor burrowing over in front of the massed ranks of visiting fans to ultimately wrap up a 22-18 win.
Hull, who withstood a serious fightback to edge Castleford last week, led 10-6 after bossing much of the opening period, with Jake Clifford getting them off on the front foot when he instigated a sweeping 13th-minute move that sent Cam Scott over on the right edge.
Leeds responded well with Kruise Leeming held up over the line before Cam Smith shrugged off the attention of Joe Lovodua to finger-tip the leveller over the line.
Martin's simple conversion sent Leeds in front but eight minutes later their familiar failings resurfaced as Chris Satae held off the attentions of the Rhinos pack for long enough to find Clifford, whose swift delivery sent ex-Rhino Liam Sutcliffe over for Hull's second.
This time Clifford nailed his tough conversion to stretch his side's lead to four points, and it could have been more when Satae evaded plenty of attention to bustle into the Leeds 10 before Kane Evans clawed over but was ruled to have dropped it on delivery.
It got worse for Leeds when Morgan Gannon was ruled out after a head injury assessment but Macdonald offered hope at the start of the second half, embarking on a winding 50-yard run deep into Hull territory before being tagged by Tex Hoy.
But that fragile optimism was quickly undone when Josh Griffin burst through a gaping hole in the Leeds line and fed Adam Swift who surged over for the visitors' third, Clifford duly kicking Hull 16-6 in front.
As during last week's mauling at Warrington, Rhinos new boy Justin Sangare wasted little time making his presence felt after the break and the front-rower was integral to the 56th-minute move that sent Leeming darting over, giving Martin the simplest of opportunities to cut the deficit back to four.
Leeds blew two big chances to regain the ascendency, first Cam Smith throwing the ball into the grateful hands of Scott after surging over the halfway line, then a charge by Ash Handley ending in a pass to Blake Austin who fumbled with a try at his mercy.
With Hull appearing to flag, Fusitu'a spared his team-mates' blushes when he collected Aidan Sezer's pass and jinked over on the right, Martin's kick nudging Leeds two points clear with less than nine minutes left on the clock.
But a spill by Macdonald poured the pressure back on the hosts, and Taylor barged over before Clifford's kick wrapped up another promising display from the visitors - while Leeds, who left the field to boos, must rebuild for next week's daunting trip to world champions St Helens.
Hull FC head coach Tony Smith....
"There was all sorts going on there but it was one of these wins we needed, we needed to dig in when it got a bit tough.
"To come from behind, it showed character and a bit of grit and graft. We needed that sort of work out tonight."
Leeds Rhinos head coach Rohan Smith....
"I thought we created more than enough chances and won the physical battle but we just didn't execute enough.
"In the end, that is what counts most, the execution. Next week, will be a different game and different situations so they have just got to trust their own judgement.
"There was certainly a lot of intent today to our performance. We won the game in a lot of ways except on the scoreboard."
Leeds Rhinos are back in action on Friday 3 March when they pay a visit to St Helens in a re-match of last year's Grand Final, with kick-off at 8pm live on Sky Sports Arena. Hull FC also play on Friday 3 March as they pay a visit to Catalans Dragons, with kick-off at 6pm.
