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 claim their second success of the Super League season.
An outstanding 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 - as well as six 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 6 minutes nudged the Rhinos into a narrow half-time lead but Hull FC shut out their challengers after the break to run out worthy winners.
After Jake Connor kicked Leeds in front after five minutes, a gorgeous line break from Hull's James Bell enabled him to unselfishly established Arthur to dive below the sticks and score versus the side his daddy coaches.
Leeds then kicked the restart out on the full, for which Hull moved into Rhinos area, and elusive play from Amir Bourouh at dummy half permitted Ligi Sao to crash over from close variety for his very first Super League attempt in 2 years.
The Rhinos' discipline let them down when dissent towards referee Liam Moore enabled a kick within range, and Hardaker added two more points as the visitors' deficit increased to 12 points after simply 17 minutes.
But Rhinos were back in the contest eight minutes later when an inch-perfect kick from Lachie Miller found McDonnell on the move to dot down in front of the checking out supporters.
A stunning diving catch from Miller then continued a flowing relocation as McDonnell looked to get a 2nd shot in a couple of minutes, but he was stopped on the line by great scrambling defence from Hull.
Another delicate kick - this time from Ash Handley - then found Croft in area to dot down next to the sticks, and by the time Connor had actually added the additionals ball game was level at 14-14.
An outstanding ankle-tap take on from Cade Cust stopped Chris Hankinson in his tracks but after referee Moore had penalised the hosts for a high deal with in the build-up, Connor kicked Rhinos in front 2 minutes before the break from the right touchline.
Just one minute after half-time, Leeds' Maika Sivo was punished for taking out the marker and Hardaker slotted over to level the match again.
And Hull edged themselves back in front moments later on when Hardaker kicked a 5th goal in front of the sticks.
The home side extended their lead when John Asiata's beautiful grubber kick was gathered on the bounce by Litten to dot down and Hardaker's sixth effective kick made it a two-score match.
With 5 minutes staying, Connor started an effort to bring the match to within a transformed try - but the ball struck the upright and bounced to security as the home side hung on in front of more than 12,000 fans to declare triumph.
'A little bit of a reality-check' - post-match reaction
Hull FC employer John Cartwright informed BBC Radio Humberside:
"They're a truly harmful side to play against.
"So, bit anxious entering into the video game, but I understood that we prepared well - there were a few missteps throughout the week however we had an excellent session Thursday.
"Courage is a requirement in any game at this level. Sometimes, you require to show a bit more courage than usual and I believed we did that today.
"Effort-wise and grit-wise, we competed well. We did the basics a lot much better than we've been doing, and that's the structure of your game. We have to do that nine times out of 10 now."
Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur informed BBC Radio Leeds:
"A little a reality-check isn't it? Basically, we're not as good as we think we are. Some of that is not what I want our club to be about and become part of.
"It was pretty humiliating, a few of the discipline in the second half. A lot of chaps just wish to talk about the referee rather of doing their own job. Not great enough.
"It's truly disappointed me. We require to get to the bottom of it [the ill-discipline] and find that out on Tuesday [when the players go back to training]
"What's altered? We went well in Vegas. So what? We require to accept some responsibility 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