Hull FC Edge Out Leeds In Yorkshire Derby Thriller
ByMatthew Cresswell
BBC Sport England
22 March 2026
206 Comments
Hull FC (14) 24
Tries: Arthur, Sao, Litten Goals: Hardaker 6
Leeds (16) 16
Tries: McDonnell, Croft Goals: Connor 4
Hull FC edged out Leeds Rhinos in a pulsating Yorkshire derby to declare their second victory of the Super League season.
An outstanding very first 40 minutes offered 30 points as both sides took it in turns to take the lead.
Tries from Jake Arthur, Ligi Sao and Davy Litten - along with 6 kicks from Zak Hardaker - meant the Black and Whites took the two points.
Carbon-copy shots from James McDonnell and Brodie Croft within the space of six minutes pushed the Rhinos into a narrow half-time lead however Hull FC shut out their challengers after the break to run out worthwhile winners.
After Jake Connor kicked Leeds in front after 5 minutes, a stunning line break from Hull's James Bell allowed him to unselfishly established Arthur to dive below the sticks and score against the side his dad coaches.
Leeds then kicked the restart out on the full, for which Hull moved into Rhinos territory, and elusive play from Amir Bourouh at dummy half permitted Ligi Sao to crash over from close quarters for his very first Super League attempt in 2 years.
The Rhinos' discipline let them down when dissent towards Moore enabled a kick within variety, and Hardaker included 2 more points as the visitors' deficit increased to 12 points after just 17 minutes.
But Rhinos were back in the contest 8 minutes later when an inch-perfect kick from Lachie Miller found McDonnell on the relocation to dot down in front of the checking out fans.
A stunning diving catch from Miller then continued a streaming move as McDonnell wanted to get a second shot in a couple of minutes, but he was stopped on the line by excellent rushing defence from Hull.
Another delicate kick - this time from Ash Handley - then discovered Croft in space to dot down beside the sticks, and by the time Connor had actually included the additionals ball game was level at 14-14.
An outstanding ankle-tap tackle from Cade Cust stopped Chris Hankinson in his tracks however after referee Moore had actually penalised the hosts for a high take on in the build-up, Connor kicked Rhinos in front two minutes before the break from the best touchline.
Just 60 seconds after half-time, Leeds' Maika Sivo was punished for taking out the marker and Hardaker slotted over to level the match once again.
And Hull edged themselves back in front minutes later on when Hardaker kicked a 5th objective in front of the sticks.
The home side extended their lead when John Asiata's gorgeous grubber kick was gathered on the bounce by Litten to dot down and Hardaker's sixth successful kick made it a two-score match.
With 5 minutes remaining, Connor kicked in an attempt to bring the match to within a transformed try - however the ball struck the upright and bounced to safety as the home side hung on in front of more than 12,000 fans to claim victory.
'A bit of a reality-check' - post-match reaction
Hull FC employer John Cartwright told BBC Radio Humberside:
"They're a truly unsafe side to play versus.
"So, bit anxious going into the game, but I knew that we prepared well - there were a few hiccups during the week however we had a good session Thursday.
"Courage is a prerequisite in any game at this level. Sometimes, you need to show a little bit more courage than normal and I believed we did that today.
"Effort-wise and grit-wise, we contended well. We did the fundamentals a lot better than we have actually been doing, and that's the foundation of your video game. We need to do that nine times out of 10 now."
Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur told BBC Radio Leeds:
"A little a reality-check isn't it? Basically, we're not as excellent as we think we are. Some of that ill-discipline is not what I desire our club to be about and become part of.
"It was pretty embarrassing, a few of the discipline in the second half. A lot of chaps just wish to discuss the referee instead of doing their own task. Not great enough.
"It's really disappointed me. We require to get to the bottom of it [the ill-discipline] and find that out on Tuesday [when the gamers return to training]
"What's changed? We went well in Vegas. So what? We need to accept some accountability and do something about it."
Hull FC: Hardaker; Briscoe, Romano, Litten, Martin; Cust, Arthur; Hill, Bourouh, Sao, Bell, Bailey, Asiata.
Interchanges: C Kemp, Fash, Laidlaw, Lisone.
Leeds: Miller; Sivo, Newman, Handley, Hankinson; Croft, Connor; Oledzki, Levi, Palasia, Watkins, McDonnell, C. Smith.
Interchanges: Holroyd, Jenkins, O'Connor, Bird.
Referee: Liam Moore.
Hull FC
Leeds Rhinos