We were once again without hooker Matt Diskin after another groin strain. Lee Smith was also out of the action which gave Ryan Hall a chance to shine. Ali Lauititi was also nowhere to be seen after the Leeds bench rushed him back for last weeks disappointing loss to Wigan in the Challenge Cup.

Hull FC were without a few but were certainly up for this one after a poor half to the season for them.

Hull scored a penalty after nine minutes following a few Rhinos players being ruled offside. Danny Tickle’s kick made it between the posts and the goal was given.

Sing crossed over the white wash after he looked like he lost control of the ball but Ian Smith granted the try anyway after the Leeds players attempted to disagree. Tickle added the extras which saw Hull go in front by eight points to nill. Not the start we were hoping for.

But that wasn’t it yet. And not by far as JJB crossed over the line after coming in at an angle. Sinfield added the extras whilst the Hull FC players were also appealing after a suspicious forward pass to Buchanan.

Things weren’t looking too good when Danny McGuire got sent to the sin bin after throwing the ball away, but the Leeds defence stepped up a notch during his absence.

We had two chances whilst he was in the bin, one of which Keith Senior was held up just short of the line. He played the ball and on the last tackle, Swain knocked on but the ref waved play on once more.

McGuire returned from the bin but just minutes later Horne kicked on the last tackle and was collected by Briscoe to make the score 14-6 with the conversion. What should have been a simple win was turning into a nightmare. But there was still another 40 minutes?

It was a recurrence of Senior’s deadly pass where we should have been in, just like the Wigan game at the Headingley Carnegie earlier in the season where he passed it straight to Domic. Hull forced a goal line drop out.Even more pressure was granted to Hull after very good defending by Leeds, but then Bailey dropped the ball, where yet again, we should have been in.

The clock was ticking but pressure begun for the first time in the game from the Rhinos. We had a perfect opportunity to cross but Ellis knocked on. The players looked as frustrated as the fans.

Leeds stripped the ball with two in the tackle in our own forty. A penalty was given and Hull went for the two. Tickle slotted it through the sticks and the game seemed to be beyond reach for Leeds.

We were back in Hulls own twenty but another mistake came from the Rhinos. This time it was the turn of Ellis right in front of the sticks. The Hull fans were sure they would win, and although they did, Leeds still had a little more in them.

Fourteen minutes remaining and a brilliant break of seventy try metres saw Thackray, Toopi, and Tansey combine to see Brent Webb go through. Burrow converted and we were back in the game. 12 minutes remaining and surely, we could get just one more?

Sing made a mistake and Burrow made a superb line break but was caught just short of the twenty metre mark. But the lads made another mistake and gave Hull the ball back.

It was a goal line dropout with five minutes to go. The ball was kicked on the last and Hull knocked the ball into touch. We had six more tackles right on the Hull line with three minutes left.

We forced another goal line dropout and the forwards forced towards the whitewash but JJB dropped the ball.

Tonight’s leedsrhinos.biz man of the match. Well that is a hard question. We normally pick the winner with ease, but this week I think it going to have to be either Rob Burrow or Brent Webb. Rob Burrow always gives his all for the Rhinos, and certainly deserves the scrum half roll in the Great Britain/England team this International period. 

was it then. We were knocked out of the Challenge Cup just last week and we never took our chances for the second week in a row.

That extra Rhinos sparkle was missing and we have one simple problem. It’s not our second half fitness as some say, it is the fact we don’t seem to want the games we should win. The three games we have lost this season are against teams outside of the top six. We should of beaten the birds today.

Next week we travel the Kingston Rovers. Pride of East Hull where we were subjected to an early season embarrassment.

Well, lets hear from the man at the top shall we?

Tony Smith:

Ref: Ian Smith