 Hull FC welcomed the Rhinos to the KC Stadium desperate to get back to winning ways. After consecutive losses to Warrington and Salford they now faced one of the leagues remaining two unbeaten sides.
The Rhinos were looking for their first win at the KC in four attempts and needed the points to keep up the pressure on St Helens at the top of the pile. Richard Silverwood would oversee proceedings as the SKY cameras delivered the game to the eager armchair spectators.
What would unfold over the next eighty minutes would be the archetypal game of two halves.
Hull FC totally dominated the opening forty with excellent attack and resolute defence. They looked like a side who meant business and the Rhinos had no answer.
The Airlie Birds hit the front after just seven minutes when a towering high kick from Sneyd was collected by Pryce who dropped to the ground, beating Hardaker and McGuire, to score the opener.
On twenty-three Pryce added his own, and Hulls, second as he spun out of two tackles to ground one handed. Sneyd converted both and the closest that the Rhinos got to a first half try was when Jones-Buchanan lost the ball just short of the line with ten minutes left in the half.
Hull were more than worth their first half lead and it looked like it might be a bad day at the office for the visitors. But the second half couldn't have been any more different.
The second half was just thirty-nine seconds old when a great break from Singleton saw a pass wide to McGuire to dive over for a trademark try. Sinfield kicked the conversion, as he would all night, and it was an immediate boost for the Rhinos.
Within three minutes McGuire had repaid Singleton by this time being the provider. On fifty-two the Rhinos hit the front when a Watkins break down the right wing saw him find McGuire in support again for his second of the night. At eighteen-twelve it was an incredible turnaround and it was FCs turn to have no answer.
What followed was a procession of Rhinos tries as Hull failed to come to terms with a Leeds side which had been mostly absent in the first half.
Just before the hour Watkins went on a fifty metre bread through a broken Hull defence to score. On sixty-two Leuluai went over off a Burrow pass and on sixty-eight Hadaker broke for thirty metres before finding Burrow in support.
Leeds had racked up thirty-six unanswered second half points in twenty-eight minutes but it didn't stop an opportunist Sinfield drop goal on seventy-four before Burrow chased and grounded his own kick with a couple of minutes left on the clock.
Hull were fantastic in the first half and no-one could argue with their half-time lead, but Leeds fixed whatever was broken at half time and put in as fine a second half performance as you are likely to see to secure a 43-12 win.
The Rhinos blended the old and the new as old-timers McGuire, Burrow and Leuluai were perfectly complemented by the new blood in the form of Singleton, Hardaker and Ward.
It will be the Rhinos fans travelling back down the M62 with smiles on their faces tonight.
Hull FC: Shaul, Lineham, Michaels, Yeaman, Taloana, Pryce, Sneyd, Paea, Houghton, Bowden, Ellis, Minichello, Westerman. Subs: Turgut, Paleaaesina, Abdull, Rankin
Rhinos: Hardaker, Briscoe, Watkins, Moon, Hall, Sinfield, McGuire, Cuthbertson, Aiton, Peacock, Ablett, Ward, Jones-Buchanan. Subs: Achurch, Burrow, Singleton, Leuluai.
Referee: Richard Silverwood
Attendance: 10,887
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