Leeds Rhinos produced a heroic performance of guts and courage to defeat Hull FC 20-18 at Headingley Carnegie thanks to late scores from Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Jordan Lilley.

The two sides could not have come into this game with more contrasting form after Hull won their last five games and the Rhinos were hoping to avoid a fifth successive defeat.
 
Leeds welcomed back Jimmy Keinhorst and Brett Delaney to their team whilst Hull FC were missing their inspirational skipper Gareth Ellis. However, the perhaps the biggest factor on the game started about two hours before kick off as the rain began to fall and it got heavier as the evening progressed. Both teams dealt with the slippery ball well but inevitably it led to a conservative approach on attack.
 
Hull had two early chances to open the scoring. The first came after Sutcliffe was penalised on the last tackle by referee Joseph Cobb however Liam Watts pass five metres from the Leeds line was spotted as going forward. Then a break by Frank Pritchard had the Rhinos back peddling only however they stood firm and managed to turn the ball over on the last tackle.
 
The Rhinos best chance came following an offload by Mitch Achurch that found Jimmy Keinhorst. The centre burst clear before passing to Ash Handley however as the winger tried to get around the outside, he was tackled and slid into touch in the wet in front of the South Stand.
 
Leeds had the chance to attack the Hull line with 24 minutes to go in the first half and they made the most of it. Having gained a penalty from a scrum, Jamie Jones-Buchanan made vital extra metres from the initial tackle and quick ball along the line put Keinhorst in space to score out wide. Lilley added the conversion from near the touchline to give his side a 6-0 lead.
 
The Rhinos had to defend their line after that as Hull increased their tempo as they managed to force two repeat sets. Eventually the pressure toll and Chris Green held off the attempted tackle to stretch out and score. Marc Sneyd had the simple conversion from in front of the posts to level the score after 32 minutes.
 
The home side did not go into their shell after that set back however and they took the game to Hull once again. Lilley kicked intelligently on the last tackle and gained his team a repeat set and Hull were then penalised for offside. The young halfback opted to go for goal and confidently struck the ball between the uprights to give his side an 8-6 lead at the break.
 
The second half saw not let up in the intensity and it was Hull who made the most of their early pressure as Iafeta Palea’aesina broke through. He was tackled on the line by Hardaker but Hull moved the ball back in field and Kirk Yeaman ran through to touch down Sneyd’s kick. The decision went to video referee Robert Hicks who agreed with the on field decision for a try despite claims for offside. Sneyd once again had the simple job of adding the conversion to put his side 12-8 in front after just 43 minutes.
 
Leeds had a fantastic chance to hit back soon after. Ash Handley collected a ball 20 metres from his own line and raced down field. Hull did well to marshall their defence to stop the initial threat but then Burrow was taken high by Watts five metres from the Hull line. Referee Cobb felt it merited nothing more than a penalty and ticking off for the prop. Leeds battled hard to get a score but ran out of numbers in the end.
 
However, Leeds did score on their next visit. Keinhorst went close initially before Lilley picked the ball up off his boot laces, kicked ahead, collected the ricochet off Houghton and then stretched out to score his first try for the club. He took a bang to his nose in the process but after treatment from physio Andy Barker, he collected himself and coolly slotted over the conversion to give his side a 14-12 lead.
 
The game was very much still in the balance and the next try looked like being crucial. It was Leeds who got it when Jamie Jones-Buchanan capped a fine performance by spinning in the tackle and go over to score. Lilley added the conversion to give his side a 20-12 lead with five minutes to go.
 
However, an error from the restart gave Hull the chance to hit back and Houghton slid over on the last tackle to score. Sneyd added the conversion to make it 20-18 with three minutes left.
 
Hull desperately tried to get a winner at the death but Handley sprinted back to boot the ball dead as the clock hit zero to secure the victory.