Hull FC break losing run with huge confidence boosting win over Leeds Rhinos

It's been 11 games and 104 days, but Hull FC have finally won a Super League game once again. It's just their second of the season to date, and they fully deserved it. Defeating Leeds Rhinos 18-10 at the MKM Stadium, the Black and Whites kissed goodbye to their losing streak to beat one of their biggest rivals in a performance that was full of effort, grit, and determination.

Celebrating their Hull&Proud week over the last five days or so, Hull were all about pride, and there was an abundance of it on show. The three tries were enough to grab Simon Grix his first win in interim charge of the club, but it was about so much more than that.

Hull, who have shown signs of improvement over the last few weeks, celebrated every little detail. They were assertive in the tackle, their line speed was on point, and they were aggressive. They relished the nitty-gritty side of the game, and when needed, they scrambled and showed the sort of desperation needed for victory.

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They fully deserved it in what was a most welcome return on their home ground, with a new pitch welcoming the side to HU3 at the halfway stage of the season. As for Leeds, the post-mortem will come. They are far from the best version of themselves, but it takes nothing away from the Black and Whites, who have been building towards this day and now have the two competition points they've craved.

Grix, who deserves credit for how he's handled a tough situation over the last two months, made three changes to Hull's line-up. Carlos Tuimavave was back in the side for the first time in 14 weeks, with Lewis Martin returning on the wing and Denive Balmforth, who was excellent and added a real spark to the side, taking a place on the bench in the absence of Danny Houghton. Morgan Smith started at hooker.

Elsewhere, Brad Fash led the charge as captain, while the full pack stepped up to drive Hull home, with some huge contributions from the likes of Herman Ese'ese, Ligi Sao, Cam Scott, and Jordan Lane. The halves also did enough while the outside backs got the sets going in what was a team effort on a rain soaked afternoon.

After some fitting tributes to the late Rob Burrow, Hull began the game on the front foot. Ben Reynolds kicked a 40/20 on their first set, but Leeds repelled the attack. The game then went tit for tat as both sides looked for the ascendency in what was certainly a physical contest on a wet surface in West Hull.

The Rhinos made plenty of ground and had their chances, but some stern and desperate Hull defence kept them out. They scrambled well and fronted up, and upon the introduction of Balmforth, who added an injection of pace, they got their reward.

After some energetic support play from the young hooker, who gathered Yusuf Aydin's offload to race away, the ball was spread to the left edge, with Jake Trueman's looping pass finding Lewis Martin, who, fresh off his new two-year deal, finished strong in the corner.

Reynolds landed the touchline conversion, with Hull adding another try before half-time. Balmforth smelt blood near Leeds' line again, and the 20-year-old made the most of it, scooting with power and intent to bundle his way over.

That gave Hull a deserved 12-0 lead at the break, with the home side starting the second half with the same hunger. They got their reward, with Jack Ashworth, via Balmforth, keeping the ball alive. Balmforth then flung the ball out to Hull's right edge, with Cam Scott darting over the line after Tuimavave's offload.

Leeds then broke their duck, with Ash Handley touching down after Brodie Croft's kick. However, Hull soon regrouped. They had chances to extend their lead, but they couldn't take them.

Entering the final five minutes, the Rhinos scored again through Harry Newman, but it was too little too late, with Hull, backed by a vocal support throughout the match, celebrating a pressure-relieving victory, and with that, a huge confidence boost as they head into the second half of the season.

Teams

Hull Starting XIII: 37. Logan Moy; 44. Tom Briscoe, 3. Carlos Tuimavave, 4. Liam Sutcliffe, 26. Lewis Martin; 6. Jake Trueman, 47. Ben Reynolds; 8. Herman Ese'ese, 19. Morgan Smith, 12. Ligi Sao; 12. Jordan Lane, 17. Cam Scott; 13. Brad Fash.

Interchange: 16. Jack Ashworth, 45. Yusuf Aydin, 28. Denive Balmforth, 46. Tiaki Chan. 18th man: 25. Davy Litten

Leeds Starting XIII: 1. Lachlan Miller; 2. David Fusitu’a, 4. Paul Momirovski, 3. Harry Newman, 5. Ash Handley; 6. Brodie Croft, 7. Matt Frawley; 8. Mikolaj Oledzki, 14. Jarrod O’Connor, 18. Mickael Goudemand; 16. James McDonnell, 12. Rhyse Martin; 13. Cam Smith

Interchange: 10. Tom Holroyd, 15. Sam Lisone, 26. Corey Johnson, 17. Justin Sangare. 18th man: 29. Alfie Edgell

Scorers

Hull Tries: Martin, Balmforth, Scott Goals: Reynolds 3/3

Leeds Tries: Handley, Newman. Goals: Martin 1/2

Scoring System: 6-0, 12-0, HT, 18-0, 18-4, 18-10, FT

Referee: Liam Moore

Attendance: 12,166

Read more: Simon Grix praises Hull FC's 'persistence and hard work' after pressure relieving victory