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 success of the Super League season.


An impressive very first 40 minutes supplied 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 however Hull FC locked out their challengers after the break to run 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 set up Arthur to dive beneath the sticks and score versus the side his father coaches.


Leeds then kicked the reboot out on the full, for which Hull moved into Rhinos territory, and evasive play from Amir Bourouh at dummy half permitted Ligi Sao to crash over from close quarters for his first Super League attempt in two years.


The Rhinos' discipline let them down when dissent towards referee Liam Moore made it possible for a kick within range, and Hardaker added 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 on when an inch-perfect kick from Lachie Miller discovered McDonnell on the relocation to dot down in front of the checking out fans.


A sensational diving catch from Miller then continued a flowing relocation as McDonnell looked to get a second shot in a couple of minutes, however he was stopped on the line by excellent scrambling defence from Hull.


Another fragile kick - this time from Ash Handley - then discovered Croft in space to dot down next to the sticks, and by the time Connor had added the bonus 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 punished the hosts for a high tackle in the build-up, Connor kicked Rhinos in front 2 minutes before the break from the ideal touchline.


Just one minute after half-time, Leeds' Maika Sivo was punished for getting 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 fifth in front of the sticks.


The home side extended their lead when John Asiata's beautiful grubber kick was collected on the bounce by Litten to dot down and Hardaker's 6th effective kick made it a two-score match.


With five minutes staying, Connor started an attempt to bring the match to within a converted shot - 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 success.


'A bit of a reality-check' - post-match reaction


Hull FC employer John Cartwright informed BBC Radio Humberside:


"They're an actually dangerous side to play against.


"So, bit worried entering into the game, however I knew that we prepared well - there were a few missteps throughout the week however we had a great session Thursday.


"Courage is a prerequisite in any game at this level. Sometimes, you need to show a little bit more nerve than usual and I thought we did that today.


"Effort-wise and grit-wise, we completed well. We did the essentials a lot much better than we've been doing, and that's the structure of your game. We need to do that 9 times out of 10 now."


Leeds Rhinos manager Brad Arthur informed BBC Radio Leeds:


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


"It was quite embarrassing, some of the discipline in the second half. A great deal of chaps simply wish to discuss the referee instead of doing their own task. Not great enough.


"It's really dissatisfied me. We require to get to the bottom of it [the ill-discipline] and discover that out on Tuesday [when the gamers return to training]


"What's altered? We went well in Vegas. So what? We require to accept some accountability and find a solution for 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