It was Magic Weekend disappointment for Hull FC, who suffered a 29-4 defeat to London Broncos at Elland Road.
Lively fullback Josh Rourke scored the first points of a low-scoring first-half before Lewis Martin responded for the Black & Whites.
Further tries from Rourke, Jack Campagnolo and Oli Leyland sent the Broncos back down the M1 with the two competition points.
Team News
Following last week’s defeat to Leigh Leopards, Simon Grix brought some key players back into the fold after their respective injuries and suspensions.
Ligi Sao, Brad Fash and Jordan Lane were all back after serving bans. Ed Chamberlain also returned after a brief spell on the sidelines with a head injury.
The quartet replaced Logan Moy, Tiaki Chan, Leon Ruan and Will Gardiner.
The Match
London’s failure to take in the kick-off put them under immediate pressure, but the Broncos were able to withstand it in the opening couple of minutes.
Sloppy discipline from the Black & Whites invited pressure onto Simon Grix’s side. A double-pump pass from Jack Campagnolo had the Hull defence at sixes and sevens, allowing the dangerous Rourke to open the scoring in front of the South Stand.
But it didn’t take long for Hull to regroup and hit back, assisted once again by London’s lack of concentration from the kick-off as FC forced a goal-line drop-out. On the last play, Jed Cartwright’s smart offload kept Hull’s options open, and Morgan Smith slipped a well-weighted kick in behind for Martin to add to his try scoring tally for 2024.
Hull failed to capitalise on their first points of the afternoon as the match evened out and both sides tussled for field position.
The loss of Jack Walker to injury caused Hull problems at the back, but there was little they could’ve done to stop London’s second try of the afternoon. A sensational piece of skill from Rouke saw Hakim Miloudi take possession and offload to Campagnolo, who dotted down.
Hull enjoyed another purple patch with field position aplenty after the Campagnolo try, but it came to no avail as London answered the questions put to them by the Airlie Birds.
Half-Time: Hull FC 4-12 London Broncos
Ill-discipline was the theme of the start of the second-half for Hull, and after a succession of penalties within the opening ten minutes, London eventually opted to shoot for goal, with Oli Leyland stretching the Broncos’ lead to ten points.
Hull threatened by forcing a goal-line drop-out not long afterwards, but a Ligi Sao knock on brought a halt to FC’s steady progress in the second-half.
The Black & Whites continued to plug away and forced a London error inside their own half, but there was still no way through for FC.
Hull conceded yet another penalty for an escort, and Leyland continued his 100% record from the kicking tee with a penalty goal to make it 16-4 with just over a quarter-of-an-hour remaining.
And Leyland sealed the victory with less than ten minutes to go with a drop-goal.
But Hull’s misery wasn’t over there. Rourke grabbed a second try as he acrobatically leapt into the air and claimed Campagnolo’s well-placed kick above young fullback Jack Charles.
There was still time for the Broncos to pile in another six points. Emmanuel Waine’s strong carry saw him break through the defensive line, and Leyland was backing up on the inside as the halfback earned a try.
Full-Time: Hull FC 4-29 London Broncos
The Squads
Hull FC: Jack Walker, Harvey Barron, Carlos Tuimavave, Tom Briscoe, Lewis Martin, Jack Charles, Morgan Smith, Herman Ese’ese, Jordan Lane, Ligi Sao, Ed Chamberlain, Jed Cartwright, Yusuf Aydin
Interchanges: Brad Fash, Zach Jebson, Denive Balmforth, Sam Eseh Jr
London Broncos: Josh Rourke, Lee Kershaw, Jarred Bassett, Ethan Natoli, Hakim Miloudi, Jack Campagnolo, Oli Leyland, Rhys Kennedy, Sam Davis, Rob Butler, Will Lovell, Sadiq Adebiyi, Marcus Stock
Interchanges: Lewis Bienek, Emmanuel Waine, Jacob Jones, Ugo Tison
The Scorers
Hull Tries: Martin
Hull Goals: Charles (0/1)
London Tries: Rourke (2), Campagnolo, Leyland
London Goals: Leyland (6/6), Leyland (DG)
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