Leeds Rhinos 42 Hull FC 10: Rhinos target Giants after Hull’s season comes to end

THE opposition will undoubtedly get tougher but Leeds Rhinos yesterday illustrated plenty of reasons why they could yet make more Super League history.

No team has ever reached a Grand Final from outside the top three but in ruthlessly ending Hull FC’s feint hopes in this play-off eliminator, Brian McDermott’s side showed they have the form and finesse to possibly do so from fifth.

A season which began fitfully is now crucially gathering pace and they will head to Huddersfield Giants on Friday confident of moving to within 80 minutes of Old Trafford.

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For all there was flair in so many of Leeds’s seven tries, particularly captain Kevin Sinfield’s first since February, it was the steely organisation of their defence which was most gratifying.

They heroically defended six successive sets on their line during the first period, holding out each time.

Their spirit was epitomised by Jamie Peacock, the veteran prop who had earlier raced back 50m twice in just five minutes to first deny Richard Whiting and then Richard Horne, helping subdue Hull’s bright but fruitless start.

After surviving that scare, Leeds were simply too good and the visitors – whose encouraging pre-play-offs form deserted them for a second week running – disappeared without trace, no way to send-off departing coach Richard Agar.

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The East Yorkshire club have long since learned to operate without the now retired Sean Long but they could ill-afford to lose another of their playmakers as they tried ending a 10-game losing streak against Leeds.

So, they badly lacked the organisational and creative quality of Sam Obst yesterday, the wily scrum-half missing with a hamstring strain.

More pressure was put on Joe Westerman to add craft but, unfortunately for the Airlie Birds, despite some neat touches, their record signing could not control the game how Agar would have liked.

Hull dominated first-half possession but, with Leeds’s superbly marshalled defence in miserly mood, it would need something special to open them up.

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As it was, at times, the visitors looked like a pub side with some comical errors, basic handling letting them down badly – Tom Briscoe threw an awful pass from dummy half which Danny Houghton did well to gather only to immediately spill; Westerman, from the back of a scrum could only find Willie Manu with another trickling ball along the ground while the ex-Castleford star wasted another opportunity, coughing up with no one near him after Whiting had been tracked down by Peacock. Worse was to follow when, after Horne’s grubber forced Sinfield to drop out, Danny Tickle and then Whiting both failed to stop the resultant kick bouncing into touch. Leeds were far less profligate; from that embarrassing error, they scored the try which realistically ended Hull’s season. Ryan Bailey – the combative prop who made yet another positive impact off the bench – was the instigator, his surge and excellent off-load seeing Brent Webb ease over in the 39th minute, Sinfield’s second conversion putting them 18-0 ahead at the break.

Webb had been involved in Leeds’s first two tries, his kick caught by Ryan Hall in the corner and then thrown back to Jamie Jones-Buchanan, before, perhaps more fortuitously, the Kiwi full-back created Ben Jones-Bishop’s 32nd minute score with a blind flick pass bouncing in front of Brett Delaney to the winger.

Hull had been unlucky in the build-up to that try, Lee Radford harshly judged to have checked Rob Burrow to concede a penalty, but there had been no complaints when Sam Moa laid on to gift Sinfield two points in the 16th minute.

That was another example of Leeds punishing their opponents’ errors and lethargy – Westerman had squandered possession moments earlier – and it was the order of the evening.

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Even after Whiting had threatened to start a comeback with a well-finished try three minutes after the restart, Tickle converting from the touchline, they self-imploded.

Jordan Turner, whose exquisite flick pass had created that score, immediately threw a forward pass to Will Sharp who had just replaced Whiting, the luckless winger having injured his ribs/shoulder in the process of scoring.

Weller Hauraki dummied and fended off Mark O’Meley to slide over for a classy try in the 48th minute before Leeds orchestrated their finest of the night. The muscular Delaney broke through Horne and Willie Manu on his own 20m before sprinting clear and finding Webb whose swift pass saw Sinfield gallop in from 40m.

Danny McGuire stepped through for his 200th Rhinos try before – in a rare excursion into Leeds’s half – Briscoe produced a brilliant one-handed finish in the corner for Hull.

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However, there was still time for Bailey to crown his fine performance with a rare try, bursting through Manu and then taking Cameron Phelps over the line with him, Sinfield adding his seventh goal.

Leeds: Webb; Jones-Bishop, Hardaker, Delaney, Hall; Sinfield, McGuire; Leuluai, Buderus, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Hauraki, Clarkson. Substitutes: Bailey, Lauitiiti, Burrow, Kirke.

Hull FC: Phelps; Whiting, turner, Yeaman, Briscoe; Westerman, Horne; O’Meley, Houghton, Moa, Tickle, Manu, Radford. Substitutes: Washbrook, Dowes, Lauaki, Sharp.

Referee: B Thaler (Wakefield).