Hull FC 62 N Wales Crusaders 6: Hull youngsters impress Gentle as Crusaders crushed

Although the final scoreline flattered the hosts somewhat, with 26 of their points coming in the final third of the match, Gentle was happy with his team’s efforts in a match which saw several youngsters take advantage of their chance to impress.

One of them, 20-year-old Jamie Shaul, grabbed one of two Hull hat-tricks in the match, with the other coming from veteran centre Kirk Yeaman.

Gentle said: “The main thing we can take from today was the amount of game time we got into the younger blokes in the squad.

“In the cup, winning is all that matters and we’ve got through to the next round, but a big positive for us was the experience the youngsters gained in playing in that sort of environment.

“When you looked at our team sheet today and saw the number of players wearing number 20-something on their back, it gives you a fair idea of the number of people we had missing.

“The guys out there did a terrific job and we’ve come through relatively unscathed, so we are pretty pleased.”

Gentle did concede his side were not at their absolute best for the whole 80 minutes at the KC Stadium, though, adding: “We were probably guilty of losing our concentration a few times but we got the win and that’s the main thing. It is hard to stay in these games and keep your concentration up. I thought our second half was better than our first. We were guilty of panicking in the first half.”

Full-back Shaul enjoyed a memorable day with three tries in nine second-half minutesf, while Yeaman was also celebrating a hat-trick after adding to his two scores at the end of the first half with a third in the final minute.

Gentle said: “Jamie Shaul is finding his way round the field. He is very new to the style of play we want to play. He has been shadowing Shannon McDonnell at training and we’re working closely with him. He has one of the vital ingredients, which is speed.”

He added of Yeaman: “I caught Kirk a few times smiling. He just adds that bit of quality and he can find the line. And I think on that last try he was never going to pass it from dummy-half.”

Crusaders coach Clive Griffiths felt his side were hard done by regarding the high penalty count against them. “I was proud of the effort the boys put in today. People might take me away in a straight jacket but I didn’t feel that was a 60-point game,” admitted Griffiths.

Hull: Shaul, Lineham, Yeaman, Crooks, Crookes, Horne, Heremaia, Watts, Houghton, Lynch, Westerman, Pitts, Bowden. Substitutes: Johnson, Green, Cunningham, J. Briscoe.

North Wales Crusaders: Johnson, Reardon, Roets, Brennan, Massam, Moulsdale, Durbin, O. Brown, McConnell, MacDonald, Middlehurst, Adamson, Gorski. Substitutes: Hudson, Braddish, Clarke, Smith.

Referee: C Leatherbarrow (RFL).