Hull FC 30 Catalan Dragons 10: Brilliant Briscoe offers up chance to breach top four

Peter Gentle’s depleted side, still missing a raft of injured talent, dug deep to out-play a disappointing Catalan and move to within just two points of third-placed St Helens.

Saints are one of three sides locked on 30 points but sit ahead of Leeds and Catalan on points difference.

Given that Hull’s remaining games are at lowly Widnes, 
financially-crippled Bradford and a home fixture versus struggling Castleford, they must now fancy their chances of finishing this regular campaign with a flourish.

If they do rise from their current sixth place into the upper echelons, they will look back at Briscoe’s crucial interventions yesterday as a turning point.

The England winger – making his third successive appearance in a new full-back role – produced one disbelieving tackle to deny Catalan’s Damien Cardace a certain score when they led just 12-6 before the break.

Then, early in the second period, he picked up Scott Dureau’s kick deep in his own territory before racing 90m for his 15th try of the season.

With Hull’s pack gradually getting on top of their famously physical counterparts, Aaron Heremaia offering real dynamism around the ruck and Willie Manu his usual strike threat, there was no way the East Yorkshire club would then let such a lead slip.

Gentle, who saw his side destroyed 44-14 in Perpignan only last month, said: “Tom’s playing out of position and learning on the run but injuries dictated that.

“He’s doing a pretty good job at full-back and improving every week. I still think he’s one of the best wingers in the country though and there’s some rep’ games coming up at the end of the year. I don’t want to jeopardise that and take it away from him.

“Overall, though, the courage showed to actually get a side on the field is testament to the quality of players in the squad.

“No one will ever know the full story of some of the sacrifices they made to play; so many were busted.

“There’ll be some pretty sore boys. We could have rested players and just gone to try win our last three games. But we wanted to play a top-four squad and show everyone what we’ve got.”

They certainly did that although star man Briscoe did not have it all his own way given some ridiculous moments in the first half.

He made a dazzling break as early as the fifth minute only to seemingly change his mind three times about which of the three colleagues he should feed.

He could have gone himself but eventually supplied Jordan Turner who equally strangely tried passing back to Briscoe who then knocked on.

But the powerful 22-year-old looked threatening every time he received possession in his new role and showed his defensive prowess with that stunning recovery tackle to somehow hold up Cardace after Dureau had intercepted Ryan McGoldrick’s pass.

Moments later, Briscoe was swatting off defenders again from a scrum – only to then pass into touch.

In between all of this madness, though, Hull managed to forge their 12-6 interval lead.

Manu hit Danny Houghton’s flat pass before showing great footwork to beat Clint Greenshields on 12 minutes, Jamie Foster converting, and they thought they were in again when Tom Lineham returned a kick and charged 70m through midfield.

However, referee Tim Roby spotted an obstruction somewhere amid a melee of players and brought the strapping winger back.

From that penalty, Catalan struck themselves when Vincent Duport got on the outside of Ben Crooks but, in a half of limited opportunities, the hosts had the greater chances.

Heremaia arced through from close range and was just dragged down by Sebastien Raguin while a sharp scrum move saw Crooks’s inside pass find Briscoe arrowing in at pace – only for him to drop it.

A succession of poor kicks meant Hull failed to muster any continued pressure but Brett Seymour finally got one right and, from the resulting drop out, Lineham did get over for his fourth try in three games following some fine passing from McGoldrick and Turner.

At the start of the second half, Chris Green secured Hull’s third try, Heremaia making the initial incision before Manu angled back towards the posts and found his colleague on his shoulder, the young prop collecting his first senior try.

Catalan, who were poor at Huddersfield a week earlier, tried to respond immediately but Briscoe pounced with his thrilling length-of-the-field effort.

The visitors’ discipline then disappeared as prop David Ferriol was put on report for one incident and then threw the ball away after another to concede a penalty which Foster stroked over.

Duport got his second after exposing Crooks again on the hour mark but a slick handling move saw Foster score his first try since joining on loan from St Helens and his fourth conversion completed the scoring.

Catalan coach Trent Robinson bemoaned some of Roby’s decision-making but insisted: “It wasn’t the reason we lost.”

Hull FC: Briscoe; Lineham, Turner, Crooks, Foster; McGoldrick, Seymour; Watts, Houghton, O’Meley, Whiting, Manu, Aspinwall. Substitutes: Heremaia, Lynch, Pitts, Green.

Catalan: Greenshields; Blanch, Duport, Millard, Cardace; Pryce, Dureau; Ferriol, Henderson, Casty, Anderson, Raguin, Baitieri. Substitutes: Pelissier, Mounis, Fakir, Sa.

Referee: Tom Roby (York)