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 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 - as well as six kicks from Zak Hardaker - suggested the Black and Whites took the 2 points.


Carbon-copy tries from James McDonnell and Brodie Croft within the area of six minutes nudged the Rhinos into a narrow half-time lead however Hull FC shut out their challengers after the break to go out deserving winners.


After Jake Connor kicked Leeds in front after 5 minutes, a beautiful line break from Hull's James Bell enabled him to unselfishly established Arthur to dive beneath the sticks and score versus the side his daddy coaches.


Leeds then kicked the reboot out on the complete, for which Hull moved into Rhinos territory, and evasive play from Amir Bourouh at dummy half allowed 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 variety, 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 relocation to dot down in front of the visiting fans.


A spectacular diving catch from Miller then continued a flowing relocation as McDonnell looked to get a 2nd try in a couple of minutes, but he was stopped on the line by good scrambling defence from Hull.


Another fragile kick - this time from Ash Handley - then discovered Croft in area to dot down beside the sticks, and by the time Connor had actually added the additionals the rating was level at 14-14.


An exceptional ankle-tap deal with from Cade Cust stopped Chris Hankinson in his tracks however after referee Moore had actually punished the hosts for a high take on in the accumulation, 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 getting the marker and Hardaker slotted over to level the match as soon as more.


And Hull edged themselves back in front moments later on when Hardaker kicked a fifth objective in front of the sticks.


The home side extended their lead when John Asiata's stunning grubber kick was collected on the bounce by Litten to dot down and Hardaker's sixth successful kick made it a two-score match.


With five minutes staying, Connor began an effort to bring the match to within a converted shot - but the ball struck the upright and bounced to safety as the home side hung on in front of more than 12,000 fans to declare victory.


'A little a reality-check' - post-match reaction


Hull FC employer John Cartwright told BBC Radio Humberside:


"They're a truly hazardous side to play against.


"So, bit worried entering into the video game, however I understood that we prepared well - there were a few missteps during the week but we had an excellent session Thursday.


"Courage is a requirement in any game at this level. Sometimes, you need to reveal a bit more guts than usual and I believed we did that today.


"Effort-wise and grit-wise, we contended well. We did the essentials a lot much better than we have actually been doing, which's the structure of your video game. We need to do that nine times out of 10 now."


Leeds Rhinos employer Brad Arthur informed BBC Radio Leeds:


"A little bit of a reality-check isn't it? Basically, we're not as excellent as we believe we are. Some of that ill-discipline is not what I desire our club to be about and become part of.


"It was pretty awkward, a few of the discipline in the second half. A lot of chaps simply wish to speak about the referee rather of doing their own task. Unsatisfactory.


"It's actually disappointed me. We need to get to the bottom of it [the ill-discipline] and discover that out on Tuesday [when the players return to training]


"What's altered? We went well in Vegas. So what? We require to accept some accountability and throw down the gauntlet."


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