Leeds 18 Hull 4: Sinfield shines in mud as Rhinos charge to the top
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Your support makes all the difference.Leeds went to the top of the Super League last night as they mastered the mud better than a Hull side depleted by illness and injury. On a difficult night for skills, the Rhinos showed sharp finishing that could take them a long way this season with tries from Lee Smith, Kevin Sinfield his first for a year and Ryan Bailey.
"We handled the conditions well," said Leeds coach Tony Smith. "It wasn't about flash rugby. It was a basic game and our defence was outstanding."
Playing in treacherous conditions at a sodden Headingley, it was no surprise both sides took time to find any semblance of precision in their handling.
Players lost the greasy ball regularly, but neither could punish the other for their errors. The closest to an early try came when Ryan Bailey lost the ball in a tackle and Danny Washbrook could have scored for Hull from Tommy Lee's kick had it not skidded into the goalposts.
Leeds bounced back from that narrow escape with Brent Webb only just stopped by Lee on the left. The ball came back to the other side with some slick handling culminating in Clinton Toopi supplying the scoring pass to Lee Smith on the right wing. Kevin Sinfield added the points but like several other recent encounters between these sides, this was a tight affair.
Hull, with six regular first-teamers ruled out, were particularly missing Paul Cooke's creativity. A run of penalties conceded by Leeds, one of them for an uncharacteristic high tackle by Danny McGuire on Sean Briscoe, invited Hull on to the attack but they could not convert territory into points.
Sinfield missed a penalty that would have stretched Leeds' slender lead early in the second half, but Briscoe stepped out of the field of play with the ball and the Rhinos kept up the pressure. Ali Lauitiiti's pass out of the tackle found Webb in support and his inside pass sent Sinfield over for a try, which he also converted.
Hull's reply came via two kicks from Lee, the young scrum-half. The first forced a fumble from Smith, the second stuck in the mud behind the try line for Matt Sing to come flashing across to touch down. But Leeds clinched the game when Jordan Tansey sent Bailey crashing over.
Hull coach Peter Sharp refused to use his weakened team as an excuse. "We are lacking a bit of spark at the moment," he admitted.
Leeds: Webb, Donald, Toopi, Senior, Smith, McGuire, Burrow, Leuluai, Diskin, Bailey, Jones-Buchanan, Ellis, Sinfield. Substitutes used: Lauitiiti, Thackray, Peacock, Tansey.
Hull: Briscoe, Sing, Whiting, Yeaman, Raynor, R Horne, Lee, Dowes, Swain, Carvell, Tickle, McMenemy, Washbrook. Substitutes used: Godwin, G Horne, Maiava, Wheeldon.
Referee: S Ganson (St Helens).
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