Just five days after the two sides met in the quarter finals of the Challenge Cup, Hull FC and St Helens were thrown together again by the vagaries of the fixture computer for a round sixteen Super League match with the Black & Whites looking for revenge and hoping to keep thirteen players on the field beyond half time.
The home side were obviously without the services of Griffin after he received a seven-game suspension for what he said to the referee after the half time hooter last weekend, but coach Tony Smith made several other changes to his side as they looked for a reversal. Saints were without the services of injured Percival and Makinson who were replace by Hopoate and Bennison.
FC came into the game on the back of a sixteen-game losing streak against the Saints, their last win coming back in August 2017, and the bookies had the visitors down as favourites to take the points and lift themselves up into third spot, just two behind the joint league leaders.
Against the bookies odds it was the home side who opened the scoring with Jake Clifford taking a pass from Darnell McIntosh who had jumped brilliantly to take a Jake Trueman high kick to the corner. Clifford was just wide with his conversion attempt.
On fourteen the Airlie Birds got their second of the night with skipper Carlos Tuimavave dropping over the line off a Danny Houghton short pass to score after an initial Andre Savelio break downfield. Clifford hit the mark with the second conversion of the night for a 10-0 lead.
On twenty-one Hull got a miracle try as McIntosh beat an indecisive Jack Welsby as he chased a kick to the corner and just managed to palm the ball back into play and allow Jake Trueman to pounce on the loose ball and ground in the corner. Clifford hit the mark, Saints not knowing what had hit them.
Six minutes before the interval, and following a Saints knock-on, Chris Satae used incredible strength to get the ball on the ground, despite the attention of three Saints defenders. Clifford added the extras for a 22-0 lead, an extraordinary scoreline.
Saints can have little complaint; they had been totally outplayed in the opening forty and had a lot to do in the second half.
Saints must have had a half tie roasting as it took them just three minutes of the second half to register their first points after a Konrad Hurrell break down the middle, the move finished by James Bell scoring under the sticks. Bennison added the conversion from in front of the sticks.
Hull were straight back into their scoring groove with Cameron Scott chasing and catching a Clifford grubber on the half-volley before spinning in the tackle and grounding. Clifford was on the mark again for 28-6.
It was job done for Hull, the onus was on Saints to chase the game and chase they did but the home side put their effort into defence and frustrated their opponents at every turn.
McIntosh picked up a wayward Saints pass on his own twenty with three minutes remaining and sprinted the length of the field, evading normal speedster Tee Ritson, to score by the right upright. Clifford added the conversion for a final score of 34-6.
This was a stunning and unexpected win for Hull FC which will leave their supporters wondering where this performance was last week in the cup match. They outplayed the Champions in all aspects of the game and ended a sixteen-game losing streak against Saints with a win which lifts them above the Rhinos on the ladder. Clifford was masterful with the boot, torturing his opponents, while the Hull forwards frustrated the Saints attack at every turn. Could this be the sign that the Airlie Birds season is turning around?
Hull FC: Shaul, Litten, Scott (T), Tuimavave (T), McIntosh (T), Trueman (T), Clifford (T, 5G), Fash, Houghton, Sao, Lovodua, Savelio, Cator. Subs: Brown, Lane, McNamara, Satae (T). 18th Man: Gardiner.
St Helens: Welsby, Bennison (G), Hurrell, Hopoate, Ritson, Lomax, Dodd, Walmsley, Knowles, Lees, Sironen, Batchelor, McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Subs: Mata’utia, Roby, Paasi, Bell (T). 18th Man: Lussick.
Half-Time: 22-0.
Full-Time: 34-6.
Score Progression: 4-0, 8-0, 10-0, 14-0, 16-0, 20-0, 22-0 : HT: 22-4, 22-6, 26-6, 28-6, 32-6, 34-6 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Hull.
Referee: Jack Smith.
