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 provided 30 points as both sides took it in turns to take the lead.


Tries from Jake Arthur, Ligi Sao and Davy Litten - along with six kicks from Zak Hardaker - suggested the Black and Whites took the 2 points.


Carbon-copy shots from James McDonnell and Brodie Croft within the space of six minutes nudged the Rhinos into a narrow half-time lead but Hull FC locked out their opponents after the break to go out worthwhile 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 below the sticks and score against the side his daddy coaches.


Leeds then kicked the restart out on the complete, for which Hull moved into Rhinos area, and elusive play from Amir Bourouh at dummy half enabled Ligi Sao to crash over from close quarters for his first Super League try in 2 years.


The Rhinos' discipline let them down when dissent towards referee Liam Moore allowed 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 on when an inch-perfect kick from Lachie Miller discovered McDonnell on the relocation to dot down in front of the going to fans.


A spectacular diving catch from Miller then continued a flowing relocation as McDonnell looked to get a second shot in a few minutes, however he was on the line by excellent rushing 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 extras the rating 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 tackle in the build-up, Connor kicked Rhinos in front two minutes before the break from the right touchline.


Just one minute after half-time, Leeds' Maika Sivo was penalised 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 fifth goal 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 kicked in an attempt to bring the match to within a transformed shot - however the ball struck the upright and bounced to safety as the home side held on in front of more than 12,000 fans to declare triumph.


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


Hull FC boss John Cartwright informed BBC Radio Humberside:


"They're a really unsafe side to bet.


"So, bit nervous going into the game, but I knew that we prepared well - there were a few hiccups throughout the week however we had a good session Thursday.


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


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


Leeds Rhinos manager Brad Arthur informed BBC Radio Leeds:


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


"It was quite awkward, some of the discipline in the second half. A lot of chaps simply wish to talk about the referee instead of doing their own job. Unsatisfactory.


"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 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