Champions Leeds Rhinos shook off
their lethargy to recover an 18-point deficit and surge to a 14th win
of the engage Super League season with a 38-22 victory over Hull FC.
The Rhinos, who maintain their six-point lead over St Helens, looked
strangely out of sorts in the first half and patched-up Hull fully
deserved their 18-4 interval lead.
But Australian winger Scott Donald lit up a sparkling second-half
show with a scintillating 80-metre try, one of six from the runaway
leaders, as Leeds transformed the match in front of another 16,000
Headingley crowd.
Donald, Rob Burrow and Gareth Ellis all touched down twice in a
one-sided second half and captain Kevin Sinfield kicked five goals on
the way to becoming the second highest scorer in the club's 113-year
history.
Yet Richard Agar's 11th-placed side, fresh from a shock win at
Bradford Bulls in the quarter-finals of the Carnegie Challenge Cup,
raced into an 18-0 lead with the aid of three tries created by the
tactical kicking of scrum-half Adam Dykes.
They then reproduced their defensive heroics of Odsal to protect
their lead and threaten to pull off one of the shocks of the season.
Leeds took the opportunity to rest Great Britain captain Jamie
Peacock's cut elbow while the late withdrawal of Gareth Raynor and
Danny Washbrook took Hull's number of absentees to eight.
Yet the visitors looked much the more enterprising team in the first
half, with second rower Willie Manu in particular a handful for the
Rhinos defence, although all three of their first-half tries stemmed
from kicks by their Australian half-back Adam Dykes.
Manu pounced for the first after nine minutes when Leeds right
winger Ryan Hall fumbled Dykes' towering kick and centre Graeme Horne
profited from Keith Senior's failure to drop on a rolling ball nine
minutes later.
When loose forward Danny Tickle plucked the ball out of the air
following another pinpoint Dykes kick four minutes later and added his
third conversion to make it 18-0, the big following from East Yorkshire
were in wonderland.
The champions could not match their visitors' lethal finishing at
that stage, with hooker Matt Diskin turned onto his back when they
eventually breached the resolute Hull defensive line.
However, Leeds maintained the pressure and it paid off when Senior,
who had earlier produced a series of storming bursts, powered his way
over for a trademark try.
Sinfield, who went into the game needing only a point to become the
second highest scorer in the history of the club, was still looking to
reach the mark after failing with the difficult conversion.
Hull extended their lead with a Tickle penalty goal five minutes
into the second half but they quickly found themselves defending after
conceding a goal-line drop-out from the re-start.
They were punished by a trademark break from livewire scrum-half
Burrow, who scooted away for a typical try, but his effort was bettered
moments later by Donald.
The Australian winger had been a virtual spectator in the first half
but he exploded into action after receiving the ball deep inside his
own half, racing up the left touchline, cutting inside to leave a trail
of defenders in his wake and then accelerating away to the touchline
for a glorious try.
Sinfield, having missed with two easier efforts, fittingly added the
touchline conversion to bring up the 1,885th point of his career and go
past Joe Thompson in the club's all-time list.
Leeds were on a roll by then and, when Hull were reduced to 12 men
after 54 minutes through the sin-binning of Dykes for a professional
foul, they immediately took advantage to score their fourth try.
Great Britain second rower Ellis proved unstoppable after taking
Danny McGuire's pass 10 metres out from the line and Sinfield's second
goal tied the scores.
Hull managed to stem the onslaught and edged back in front after 59
minutes with a second penalty from Tickle but Leeds hit the front for
the first time two minutes later when Donald took Webb's long pass to
score his second try.
Sinfield then broke clear to get Ellis over for his second try and
Burrow grabbed his second after collecting a loose ball and racing
clear.
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