Leeds Rhinos 46 Hull FC 30: Leeds give warning of return to best with Hull defeat

A little over a week ago, the injury-ravaged Engage Super League champions were in apparent crisis and battling to avoid a fourth successive defeat but it seemed their leader knew all too well what was about to come.

Since then they have picked up two victories and a draw and McClennan can be fairly sure – especially on the form of yesterday's success over Hull FC – that appraisal will be positive by the culmination of the month.

Leeds may still be outside the top eight but they are already back in the hunt.

Yes, there was signs of some of their early-season woes especially when they allowed Hull's England winger Tom Briscoe to score a hat-trick which narrowed a 16-0 lead to 16-14 shortly after the break.

Likewise, they switched off at the end to allow Hull to score the final three tries of the game, the impressive Briscoe grabbing a fourth yet somehow finishing on the losing side.

But the period in between saw the Rhinos – with ex-England centre Keith Senior at his marauding best and Brent Webb popping up all over – return to the sort of fare that has hallmarked them as champions for three successive years.

"Some of our attacking play was as good as we've played this season," admitted McClennan, who takes his side to East Yorkshire for an immediate re-match in the Carnegie Challenge Cup fourth round on Saturday.

"We played like we like to play, opened up a bit and scored some nice tries. Now we just need to get our defence back stronger."

Hull, who saw Australian hooker Shaun Berrigan depart with a suspected broken collar bone after just 12 minutes, ruthlessly exposed Leeds's right-edge where Kirk Yeaman and Briscoe caused chaos for Brett Delaney and Lee Smith.

But the visitors, already without key personnel in Sean Long, Craig Fitzgibbon and Richard Horne, gave their opponents too much of a start.

Leeds eased into a 16-0 lead after 27 minutes. Hull, with a mixture of a poor kicking game and Leeds's dominant defence through the middle, had to battle for every inch and barely had an attacking opportunity.

The hosts had a spring in their step – imposing prop Kylie Leuluai, in particular, leaving his mark with some punishing hits on a battered Mark O'Meley – and it looked like business as usual for the champions.

Senior muscled his way over for their first before Kevin Sinfield broke from deep inside his own half to set up their second. The Leeds captain drew full-back Jordan Tansey and Rob Burrow offered the link before Ryan Hall finished off, the England winger's best yet to come soon after following a splendid handling move which saw Danny McGuire and Burrow cut Hull open once more.

The Black and Whites had not had a sniff and urgently needed a lift which Wille Manu duly provided. The big Tongan, along with fellow second rower Epalahame Lauaki, had posed Hull's main threat with their powerful surges but he showed his delicate side by slipping a wonderful pass that sent Yeaman racing away untouched for Briscoe to score on the half-hour mark.

Richard Whiting converted and they were in soon after when Yeaman's quick footwork bamboozled Sinfield and created the space for Briscoe once more, this time from close range, to make it 16-10 at half-time.

Five minutes after the re-start, the 19-year-old completed his treble by flying onto a splendid long Tansey pass and the away support – part of a 16,896 crowd at Headingley Carnegie – sensed an unlikely win.

However, a rampaging Lauitiiti bulldozed over and so began Leeds's golden spell.

Senior swatted aside Lauaki and exploded through on a 60-metre run to the line, cleverly exchanging passes with the supporting Webb to get his second.

There was a hint of fortune about their next score immediately afterwards when Whiting almost intercepted Webb's pass out wide but the ball fell loose for Ryan Hall who sprinted 40 metres down the touchline, Burrow finishing off.

Leuluai then stole possession off Manu close to the Hull line, Sinfield's delayed pass seeing Jones-Buchanan notch the 50th try of his career before McGuire added another when Delaney splintered Hull once more.

Leeds got a little too adventurous when Burrow's ambitious pass was picked off by Craig Hall, Whiting converting, and Hull added two more through Briscoe and Jordan Turner, who showed some neat touches at stand-off, when Leeds lapsed at the end.

"We took plenty of positives," said Agar.

"Tom took his tries really well and we looked quite dangerous on the left – Willie Manu and Kirk Yeaman are playing some of their best football – but we can learn a big lesson about our intensity. Too often we lacked it in defence."

Leeds: Webb; Smith, Delaney, Senior, Hall; McGuire, Burrow; Leuluai, Buderus, Bailey, Jones-Buchanan, Lauitiiti, Sinfield. Substitutes: Kirke, Burgess, Diskin, Ablett.

Hull FC: Tansey; Whiting, Hall, Yeaman, Briscoe; Turner, Washbrook; Cusack, Berrigan, O'Meley, Manu, Lauaki, Radford. Substitutes: Houghton, Dowes, Moa, Burnett

Referee: P Bentham (Warrington).