Fitness worries add to Rhinos’ misery but Hull truly on the up

There was nothing directly to suggest in last night’s reverse against vibrant Hull FC that this campaign will end in similar circumstances to 2006.

It would be folly to do so given the Super League champions’ historic ability to bounce back from such travails.

However, the sight of England internationals Kallum Watkins and Danny McGuire both being carried off with ankle injuries will cause real worry in the immediacy not only for Leeds coach Brian McDermott but his national counterpart Steve McNamara, too, who names his squad for the Exiles next week.

Admittedly, there were plenty of other areas of concern, most notably how Leeds were so easily and regularly penetrated from deep and took so long to find any tangible response to exemplary Hull’s opening salvos.

More praise, though, should be directed to a voracious Airlie Birds side who secured an eighth win from their last nine games to rise above their Yorkshire rivals into fourth place and provide further evidence of their own growing stature.

Peter Gentle’s side have had their own issues to contend with; no sooner had he welcomed back Ben Galea and Joe Westerman from injury than he had to watch as Gareth Ellis, his stellar captain who missed three months after breaking a foot during the warm-up at Headingley in February, departed with a wrist problem.

Nonetheless, in the 26 minutes before that, the commanding second-row had more than set the lead for this impressive win with a series of punishing hits and a try-saving tackle on Watkins which, coincidentally, led to his England colleague being helped off with that ligament damage.

Thankfully, Ellis did return to the action but, with five months still to go before the World Cup starts, it was a stark reminder of the nervous times that lie in wait for McNamara.

Hull were up and running within 90 seconds after Shannon McDonnell surged clear for the excellent centre Ben Crooks to provide Westerman with a try-scoring return from his dislocated thumb.

Daniel Holdsworth added the first of his three kicks, his second coming when Jamie Jones-Buchanan was penalised for holding down soon after.

It was Jones-Buchanan’s 300th game for Leeds but, unfortunately, the durable second-row found himself at the centre of things for all the wrong reasons.

When hulking winger Tom Lineham rose to defuse Kevin Sinfield’s high kick in the 12th minute it was the England forward he brushed off before escaping to send Crooks in for the hosts’ second.

He may be uncapped and still only 19, but if Watkins is not fit, McNamara could do worse than to put the strong-running Crooks straight in against the Exiles, his consistency and threat this season has been that good.

With Hull defending ferociously and Holdsworth’s booming long kicking game continually dissecting Leeds’s back three, it was no surprise that the reigning champions failed to even venture into their opponents’ 20 until approaching the quarter mark.

Crooks sped clear once more after a cute pass from Aaron Heremaia who comfortably filled the creative role vacated by injured Hull scrum-half Richard Horne and Leeds – still without crocked Jamie Peacock and Carl Ablett – were in disarray.

This was summed up when winger Joe Vickery initially failed to deal with the latest of Holdsworth’s hanging kicks, then recovered, only to run in front of his own posts and be smashed back behind his own line by the charging Crooks and Lineham.

Jones-Buchanan was penalised after the drop-out and then shot out of the defensive line to give Danny Houghton – another terrific performer for Hull – the chance to dart over from dummy-half.

Holdsworth gave Hull an 18-0 interval lead and, though Leeds improved slightly afterwards, they still showed little sign of splintering Hull’s defence. In part, that was down to McGuire’s departure in the 50th minute, but Sinfield did finally usher teenager Liam Sutcliffe through a gap 11 minutes later for Brett Delaney to score.

Sinfield improved from wide out, but Hull should have made sure themselves when Kirk Yeaman split them yet again.

To the disgust of both Jay Pitts and Holdsworth, though, he did not see them screaming in support and his blind pass agonisingly went to ground.

Paul McShane dropped possession trying to get over for Leeds and Joel Moon was held up over the line, but resilient Hull always looked comfortable.

Gentle said his squad had treated last week’s controversial win against Hull KR as a defeat, they were so disappointed with that performance.

That result owed so much to Steve Ganson’s video referee blunder but there will be no such talk in review of this display. Supporters amusingly sang “We want Ganson” after video referee Richard Silverwood failed to award a try for Yeaman in the first half.

It did not matter. Hull earned this win on their own hard work and did not need anyone else’s help.

Meanwhile, the hero from that Magic Weekend derby. Chris Green. has signed a new three-year deal at KC Stadium.

Hull FC: McDonnell, Lineham, Crooks, Yeaman, T. Briscoe, Holdsworth, Heremaia, O’Meley, Houghton, Green, Ellis, Westerman, Pitts. Substitutes: Lynch, Watts, Galea, Johnson.

Leeds Rhinos: Hardaker, Vickery, Watkins, Moon, Hall, McGuire, Sinfield, Leuluai, Burrow, Bailey, Jones-Buchanan, Delaney, Clarkson. Substitutes: McShane, Kirke, Singleton, Sutcliffe.

Referee: James Child (Dewsbury).