Hull FC secured a vital 33-22 victory over the Catalans Dragons tonight at the KC Stadium, with two tries from winger Tom Lineham, to pull away from the foot of the Super League table.
But victory came at a cost, with Chris Green, Joe Westerman and Gareth Ellis all having to depart the field with injuries.
The Dragons had sprung a shock by including Australian stand-off Todd Carney, who took to the field with a broken rib, although the move backfired after he had to leave the field in the first half.
Vincent Duport’s try opened the scoring for the Dragons, but then Hull hit back with four tries in 15 minutes to take firm control of the match.
Marc Sneyd grabbed a loose ball to score his first Hull try, and good work by Leon Pryce saw Jordan Rankin score the second.
Steve Michaels and Fetuli Talanoa added further tries to give Hull a 22-6 lead, but on the dot of half-time they gifted a try to the Catalans, when Liam Watts couldn’t take in a wayward pass from Sneyd and Thomas Bosc took advantage to score the Dragons’ second try.
Early in the second half Hull replied with two tries from Lineham, both created by Rankin, to make the game comfortable for the Airlie Birds.
The Dragons replied with late tries by Morgan Escaré and Zeb Taia, with Sneyd adding a field-goal for Hull. The final scoreline didn’t accurately reflect the superiority on the night of the Black and Whites.
A full report and photos from this match will feature in Monday’s edition of Rugby League Express.
