He’s Super League’s record try scorer for a reason – and he stepped up once again to snatch Leeds Rhinos victory from the jaws of defeat.
Come the hour, come the man, with the former Robin and reigning Rhinos legend, Ryan Hall, powering over to give Leeds the lead for the first time and steal two points from Hull FC.
Chancing their arm, the Rhinos went wide on the last tackle, with the winger powering over in the corner to send Headingley wild – and in the process, inflict a fourth successive defeat on the Black and Whites.
John Cartwright’s side took the lead and held it for the majority of the game. They were brave and gritty, but they couldn’t withstand the Rhinos fightback, with three tries paving the way for a frantic finish which saw Hall go over with less than two minutes to go.
Before that, Hull played their part. They were led well by Aidan Sezer and built themselves into the game, but they were undone at the death, with Hall’s try completing what was at one stage a 16-4 deficit into an 18-16 Rhinos victory.
Hull made one change to their side, with Brad Fash coming in for Yusuf Aydin. Elsewhere, Jordan Rapana made his 250th first-grade appearance. However, the milestone man was stretchered off the field early on after making contact with Leeds half-back Jake Connor.
Looking to put pressure on the Rhinos man, Rapana hit Connor awkwardly and came off second best, and after several minutes of treatment, left the field on a spinal board.
The game, perhaps understandably after a lengthy stoppage, took a while to get going. Both sides played too laterally instead of going direct, with errors creeping into play.
A stalemate played out for half an hour, but then Hull began to flex their muscles. Sezer’s kicks caused trouble throughout, and it was from a scrum play where the away side struck.
Perfectly crafted, Hull hit Will Pryce on the blindside, with the full-back scampering across the Leeds line, drawing in the defence, and feeding winger Lewis Martin, who dived over in the left corner.
The Black and Whites soon extended their lead. Playing more direct, they began to poke their nose through, with Amir Bourouh putting Sam Eseh onto a strong line and stretching out to score.
Sezer’s boot then put Hull 10-0 to the good, but the first half had one final twist. Returning the ball from the kick-off, Jack Ashworth made a crucial error, handing possession back to Leeds with 90 seconds remaining.
The Loiners took the invitation, with Brodie Croft back in the side after injury, hitting James McDonnell on a strong line to score. Lachlan Miller was wide with his conversion with Hull six points up at the break.
They extended that lead into the second half. Will Pryce’s kick hit the post, with John Asiata flinging the pass out for Harvey Barron to score. But Leeds responded quickly. They played direct and hard – and scored through prop Tom Holroyd, who had too much strength to power his way over.
Leeds then hit Hull again, going wide on the last tackle through Croft, who found Handley and then Riley Lumb to score in the corner. But Miller’s missed kick kept Hull ahead – a lead they kept into the final ten minutes.
But Leeds kept rolling the dice, and they got their reward. They were brave, and they rampaged downfield. On the last tackle, they chanced their arm again, with Hall having too much strength to go over in the corner. Cue bedlam. At least for three sides of Headingley. It’s a cruel game at times.
Teams
Leeds Starting XIII: 1. Lachie Miller; 5. Ryan Hall, 3. Harry Newman, 4. Ash Handley, 23. Riley Lumb; 18. Jake Connor, 6. Brodie Croft; 8. Mikolaj Oledzki, 14. Jarrod O’Connor, 10. Keenan Palasia; 12. James McDonnell, 16. Morgan Gannon; 28. Kallum Watkins
Interchange: 15. Sam Lisone, 19. Tom Holroyd, 12. James Bentley, 13. Cam Smith
18th Man: 17. Cooper Jenkins
Hull Starting XIII: 6. Will Pryce; 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, 40. Liam Knight; 3. Zak Hardaker, 4. Ed Chamberlain; 13. John Asiata
Interchange: 17. Jack Ashworth, 5. Tom Briscoe, 39. Sam Eseh, 19. Brad Fash
18th Man: 25. Denive Balmforth
Teams
Leeds Tries: McDonnell, Holroyd, Lumb, Hall
Goals: Miller 1/4
Hull Tries: Martin, Eseh, Barron
Goals: Sezer 2/3
Scoring System: 0-4, 0-10, 4-10, HT, 4-16, 10-16, 14-16, 18-16, FT
Referee: Jack Smith
Attendance: 15,602