It was a disastrous afternoon for the Black & Whites at the MKM Stadium, as league leaders St Helens ran in eleven tries as Hull FC succumbed to a 60-6 defeat.
Hull took the lead in the game and started the brighter side thanks to Jack Walker’s early score, but Saints quickly took control of the game and went in at the break with a twenty point advantage.
The reigning champions didn’t let up in the second-half, with Tommy Makinson, Konrad Hurrell, Ben Davies, and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook all bagging braces for the visitors.
Team News
Brett Hodgson has made two changes to the side that lined-up against Huddersfield last week, with Mitieli Vulikijapani coming back into the squad alongside Jordan Johnstone.
The pair replace Jack Brown, who drops out with a shoulder injury, and Josh Simm who was recalled by the Saints earlier this week after his loan spell with the club.
Josh Griffin (quad), Adam Swift (leg), Manu Ma’u (hamstring), and Cameron Scott (groin) remain on the sidelines, as well as long-term absentees Carlos Tuimavave (Achilles), Andre Savelio (knee) and Joe Cator (Achilles), and Ligi Sao who serves the third and final game of his three match suspension.
The Match
Hull started the brighter of the two sides, as a penalty that saw a Saints man on report moved the Black & Whites to within 10 meters of the visitors line. On the second tackle after a quick ruck the ball moved to the Hull right and Jake Connor fired an inch perfect pass to Jack Walker to stroll over the line for his second try in as many weeks.
That was to be as good as it got for Hull though, as St Helens responded on the quarter of an hour mark through Will Hopoate on the Hull right.
Both sides remained in the arm wrestle until the half hour mark, but a devastating spell before the break saw Saints move into an unassailable lead.
Tommy Makinson flew over in the corner for his first of the afternoon taking a Will Hopoate pass to score, before three minutes later Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook got the first of a brace after St Helens kept the ball alive on the last tackle.
Konrad Hurrell got the next try for the visitors on the first tackle from a scrum before McCarthy-Scarsbrook got his second of the afternoon on the stroke of half-time.
Half-Time: Hull FC 6-26 St Helens
St Helens started the second half as they ended the first, scoring their first of the half just two minutes after the interval. Ben Davies carried strongly into the Hull defensive line and had the strength to force his way over, before Hurrell got his second of the afternoon five minutes later.
Makinson continued the scoring for the Champions with an effort in the corner shortly after, with Sione Mata’utia getting in on the act and bringing up the half century as the hour mark approached.
Makinson thought he had his hattrick with ten minutes remaining, but Jonny Lomax’s pass traveled well forward and the effort was disallowed.
It only took another couple of minutes for Saints to add to their tally though as Joey Lussick ran out of dummy half with only one marker and he had the pace to get under the posts.
Davies rounded the scoring off as he scored his second of the afternoon with two minutes left on the clock.
Full-Time: Hull FC – St Helens
Squads:
Hull FC: Jack Walker, Darnell McIntosh, Jake Connor, Mitieli Vulikijapani, Connor Wynne, Will Smith, Luke Gale, Scott Taylor, Danny Houghton, Kane Evans, Jordan Lane, Ellis Longstaff, Brad Fash
Interchange: Chris Satae, Joe Lovodua, Jordan Johnstone, Matty Laidlaw.
St Helens: Will Hopoate, Tommy Makinson, Konrad Hurrell, Sione Mata’utia, Jon Bennison, Ben Davies, Jonny Lomax, Alex Walmsley, James Roby, Matty Lees, James Bell, Joe Batchelor, Morgan Knowles.
Interchange: Joey Lussick, Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Agnatius Paasi, Jake Wingfield.
Scorers:
Hull FC Tries: Walker (5)
Hull FC Goals: Gale (1/1)
St Helens Tries: Hopoate (16), Makinson (30, 52), Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook (33, 40), Hurrell (38, 46), Davies (42,77), Mata’utia (58), Lussick (72)
St Helens Goals: Makinson (8/11)
Official Attendance, sponsored by Garbutts: 10,097
Campbell Engineering Man of the Match: Brad Fash
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