Four first half tries saw Leeds Rhinos continue their push for the top four as Brad Arthur’s side defeated Hull FC 34-0 at the MKM Stadium.

Tries from Ryan Hall, Morgan Gannon, Jake Connor and Kallum Watkins gave the away side the foothold they needed in the contest in the first forty minutes before Brodie Croft and James McDonnell’s scores sealed a convincing win for Leeds, who moved to third in the table with the win.

The Rhinos made three changes from the side that beat Hull KR a week ago. Mikolaj Oledzki and Cooper Jenkins both returned from injury to bolster the forward pack, with Oledzki starting in place of the injured Keenan Palasia and Jenkins coming onto the bench in place of Ben Littlewood. Joe Shorrocks also made his Rhinos debut, replacing Andy Ackers. It was a day of milestones too, as Ryan Hall marked his 400th Super League appearance while Harry Newman reached 150 career games.

Hull carved out the first openings of the game as Zak Hardaker found space down the Rhinos’ right edge, only to be met by strong defence from James McDonnell and Newman. Leeds matched Hull’s early physicality, but a loose offload from Kallum Watkins to McDonnell disrupted their rhythm inside the opening quarter.

The hosts continued to probe, with Lewis Martin breaking clear after collecting a kick over the top, but Presley Cassell showed great urgency to beat Davy Litten to Martin’s kick ahead and snuff out the danger. Despite Hull’s pressure, it was Hall who opened the scoring against his former club. Watkins charged down an Aidan Sezer kick to spark a counter-attack with Lachie Miller, and quick hands from Jarrod O’Connor and Jake Connor sent Hall over in the corner after 24 minutes.

Leeds doubled their lead soon after through Watkins. A kick out on the full from Hardaker gifted the visitors field position, and after strong carries from Oledzki and Cassell, Brodie Croft chipped into the right corner. Miller batted the ball back brilliantly, and Watkins reacted fastest to ground the ball. Video referee Chris Kendall confirmed the try, and Connor added the extras for 12-0.

Hull thought they had hit back when Amir Bourouh darted from dummy half, but desperate Rhinos defence kept him out. Their frustration grew as Brad Fash’s pass was intercepted by Connor, who raced 60 metres to score a third Leeds try and stretch the lead further. With half time looming, the visitors weren’t done. Miller carved through the middle behind the ruck, and although Croft and Sam Lisone were held up, Miller stabbed a clever grubber through the legs of Ed Chamberlain for Morgan Gannon to pounce and register his first try since June.

Croft had a chance to cap the first half with a drop goal, but within five minutes of the restart the Leeds half-back found the try line instead. Debutant Joe Shorrocks produced a well-timed offload to send Jarrod O’Connor bursting clear, and with only Hardaker to beat the hooker released Croft to score under the posts. Connor converted to stretch the lead to 30-0 and effectively take Hull out of the contest.

Both sides exchanged chances as Davy Litten and Chris Hankinson went close in search of points, while the Rhinos looked to add further gloss to the scoreboard. With 15 minutes remaining, Leeds suffered a setback when Max Simpson received lengthy treatment before being forced from the field with a neck injury. The visitors responded in style, however, as James McDonnell struck inside the final ten minutes. Croft drifted across the line and timed his pass perfectly to send the second-rower powering through a gap for his eighth try of the season.

Hull to their credit kept battling until the end, Jordan Lane linking with Tom Briscoe near the line, but the winger was stopped in his tracks by Leeds' defence. The home side never found a way over before the final whistle; the Rhinos closing out a professional 34-0 victory to move up to third in the league table.

Teams

Hull FC

3. Zak Hardaker, 2. Harvey Barron, 1. Jordan Rapana, 20. Davy Litten, 22. Lewis Martin, 14. Cade Cust, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Herman Ese’ese, 9. Amir Bourouh, 41. Liam Watts, 4. Ed Chamberlain, 12. Jordan Lane, 16. Yusuf Aydin

Subs: 17. Jack Ashworth, 27. Matty Laidlaw, 5. Tom Briscoe, 19. Brad Fash

Tries:

Goals:

Rhinos

1. Lachie Miller, 31. Chris Hankinson, 3. Harry Newman, 26. Max Simpson, 5. Ryan Hall, 6. Brodie Croft, 18. Jake Connor, 8. Mikolaj Oledzki, 14. Jarrod O’Connor, 29. Presley Cassell, 16. Morgan Gannon, 12. James McDonnell, 28. Kallum Watkins

Subs: 32. Joe Shorrocks, 11. James Bentley, 15. Sam Lisone, 17. Cooper Jenkins (18^th Man – 9. Andy Ackers)

Tries: Hall (24), Watkins (28), Connor (32), Gannon (36), Croft (46) McDonnell (71)

Goals: Connor 5/6