Despite a resilient display, Hull FC Academy suffered their second defeat of the season, as Leeds Rhinos Under 18s ran out 30-22 winners at the University of Hull.
Hull trailed twice in the first-half, but there was nothing to separate the two sides at the break thanks to tries from Joe Ward and Jordon Baker for the Black & Whites.
But the hosts struggled to get a tight hold of the game, and constantly found themselves chasing the scoreline, with second-half scores from halves Ben Johnson and Callum Kemp proving not enough against a determined Leeds outfit, who enjoyed their first win of 2024.
The Match
After a cagey opening spell, Leeds hit the front when Presley Cassell’s flat pass was taken in by Joe Butterfield, who strolled in to score underneath the posts.
The Rhinos’ celebrations demonstrated they had the fire in their bellies, as they went in search of a first win of their campaign.
But they would have to work hard for their two points, and they were quickly pegged back by the hosts as Joe Ward finished off a sweeping move to the right edge, squeezing in at the right corner.
Perhaps the second try of the afternoon for Leeds was a demonstration that the luck was on their side. Harry Smith’s awkward grubber kick took an unkind deflection for Hull, but Jacob Stead showed the hosts no sympathy as he was in the right place at the right time to score.
FC weren’t knocked out of their stride though, and they provided another quickfire response. Johnson was proving to be a real handful for Leeds with his running ability, and before the Rhinos could hold up the stand-off, he managed to flick the ball away to Baker, who fended off one tackler and crashed over to score his first try of the season.
Again, the elusive Johnson threatened Leeds, this time from in his own half. Fergus McCormack’s desperate attempt to wrap up his opposite number saw him land a swinging arm on Johnson – Hull were awarded a penalty and the Leeds halfback was sent to the sin-bin.
Not long after, McCormack’s halfback partner Smith followed him for a ten-minute sit down for a professional foul and Leeds suddenly found themselves under pressure.
But a panicked Hull rarely looked like scoring as half-time approached, although Lennon Nicholson will have rued a missed opportunity when Leeds made a mess of a grubber kick into the in-goal area.
HALF-TIME: Hull Academy 12-12 Rhinos Academy
Hull coughed up possession in the opening set of the second half and that unsettled the hosts, who were still playing against eleven men.
McCormack returned from the sin-bin and begun to take control of the game, and Leeds were certainly in the ascendency when Smith reappeared to rekindle his growing partnership with the stand-off in the halves.
Loose-forward Cassell had been busy for the Rhinos throughout the game, and he muscled his way over the whitewash for a well-deserved score.
But once again, Hull found a quick riposte. It was almost as though the hosts needed a Leeds try to sharpen up their attack. Lloyd Kemp’s tricky kick-off restart took a bounce and went dead, gifting Hull the field position, and once again Johnson’s running game came up trumps as the stand-off scored in a fourth consecutive Academy game.
However, Westerman’s kick missed the target, and when Harley Thomas converted Butterfield’s second try of the afternoon, Hull’s race appeared to be run as they trailed by eight points with just over 15 minutes remaining.
Callum Kemp breathed life into the Hull FC comeback effort, though, profiting from a sensational Will Kirby offload to score.
But that try proved to be academic for the Black & Whites. Leeds smartly forced a goal-line drop-out with just over five minutes to go. Turning the screw proved to be a smart tactic for the Rhinos – Hull buckled under the pressure, allowing Joseph Diskin to burrow over from dummy-half.
FULL-TIME: Hull Academy 22-30 Rhinos Academy
Squads & Scorers
Hull: L Kemp, Barfield, Westerman, Nicholson, Ward, Johnson, C Kemp, Haldenby, Hutchinson, Baker, Clark, Calvert, Kirby
Hull Interchanges: Rea, Smith, Thompson, Turner
Hull Tries: Ward, Baker, Johnson, C Kemp
Hull Goals: Westerman (3/4)
Rhinos: Thomas, Webster, Qareqare, Taylor, Millington, McCormack, Smith, Phillips, Diskin, Butterfield, Stead, Hartley, Cassell
Rhinos Interchanges: Ementon, Hutchinson, Oladipupo, Whittingham
Rhinos Tries: Butterfield (2), Stead, Cassell, Diskin
Rhinos Goals: Thomas (5/5)
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