Leeds Rhinos edge out Hull in Super League thriller at Headingley
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 16/04/16 7:12am
Leeds Rhinos defied the form book as they edged to a 20-18 victory over Hull FC in a thrilling Super League clash at a rain-soaked Headingley Carnegie.
The defending champions went into the game second from bottom following four straight defeats following a shocking start to the season, in stark contrast to Hull's five wins in a row which had taken them third.
But the Rhinos dug deep to earn a crucial win which moved them back to within eight points of the top four.
The hosts went into half-time with a slender 8-6 lead courtesy of Jordan Lilley's penalty after Jimmy Keinhorst and Chris Green had exchanged converted tries.
Kirk Yeaman put Hull in front for the first time but Lilley added the extras to his own try to make it 14-12 to the Rhinos heading into the closing stages.
Jamie Jones-Buchanan powered his way over to give Leeds breathing space, only for Danny Houghton to set up a grandstand finish.
Jordan Thompson chased his hack forward with open field in front of him in a dramatic finish but Ash Handley ran back to kick the ball dead and spark wild celebrations.
Both sides opted for safety-first rugby early on in greasy conditions and when Leeds did make a break on the back of Mitch Achurch's offload, Handley was slid into touch by scrambling Black and Whites defenders.
The Rhinos were coping with the wet weather better than their opponents and, after Houghton knocked on under no pressure in his own half, Keinhorst skimmed over in the corner from Zak Hardaker's pass out the back.
Lilley nailed his conversion from the touchline and Leeds were presented with another opportunity to attack the Hull line after Marc Sneyd failed to find touch from a penalty.
The rain began to fall heavier as Keith Galloway dropped Rob Burrow's pass 10 metres out and then Hardaker was guilty of wasting a good attacking opportunity with poor ball control.
Leeds had failed to make the most of their field position and Hull duly punished them when Green took a good pass from fellow prop Scott Taylor to score under the posts.
Rhinos were given an immediate chance to get back on the front foot following Curtis Naughton's knock-on and they came away with two points from Lilley's boot, after Hull were penalised for offside.
The home side's advantage was wiped out within two minutes of the restart despite the best efforts of Handley, who hauled Frank Pritchard down metres short of the line but could only watch as Yeaman touched down Sneyd's neat kick through on the next play.
The video referee cleared the try, despite strong Leeds claims for offside, but the Black and Whites suffered a blow when the excellent Pritchard hobbled off.
The volume inside Headingley went up another notch after Burrow was caught by a Liam Watts high tackle with Hull stretched, and referee Joseph Cobb only awarded Leeds a penalty.
Hardaker did well to deny Taylor yards from the line and that tackle proved crucial as Lilley's grubber kick hit the legs of Houghton and the Rhinos scrum-half picked up to score.
Lilley kept his cool from the tee to edge Leeds back ahead and Jones-Buchanan crashed over on the last tackle in the closing stages to calm Rhinos nerves.
They quickly returned after Houghton slid over following a mistake by Hardaker from the restart, but Leeds held on for their 10th straight home win over Hull.