It wasn’t meant to be as they the Black and Whites fell to a narrow defeat to St Helens.
22:14, 22 Aug 2025Updated 22:57, 22 Aug 2025
Owen Dagnall of St Helens is tackled by Jordan Rapana of Hull FC
Hull FC produced a heroic effort at St Helens, albeit it was ultimately in vain with the home side running out 16-10 winners on Friday night.
However, given the circumstances, John Cartwright’s side can at least hold their heads up high. They were up against it, already under strength against an opponent in a rich vein of form, but they never threw in the towel and came out with some deserved credit despite the loss.
After a slow start, they made a case for victory, with the game finishing two tries apiece, but ultimately they were edged out by a St Helens side who have now won nine of their last ten games and moved up to second in the Super League table – for now.
Hull, making five changes to their matchday lineup after injuries to the likes of John Asiata and Will Pryce, were already doing it tough – and the rugby league gods weren’t on their side early on, with Jed Cartwright suffering a pectoral injury within five minutes and leaving the field.
The Saints, with Jack Welsby back in their starting side, took advantage. They were faster out of the blocks early on, and Morgan Knowles soon hit them where it hurt, carrying hard and bursting through the middle of the field in a powerful fifty-metre dash to the line.
Saints then extended their lead through a Kyle Feldt penalty goal, and it looked like the floodgates would open at that stage. The Red Vee had further opportunities to score, but Hull, with the likes of Aidan Sezer and Jordan Rapana back in the side after injury, are built of much sterner stuff this year, and they fronted up, forcing the error and then countering at the other end.
A Harvey Barron break after a Hull interception got them into position, with Davy Litten then pouncing on a Saints error to score. That gave Hull a sniff and they could have levelled through a penalty goal, but Zak Hardaker’s attempt went wide, thus maintaining Saints’ two-point lead at the break.
The second half started in fiery fashion, with both sides taking it to each other in what was a firm contest, but it was Saints who took some sting out of it, smartly extending their lead through another penalty goal.
Hull kept going, heroically defending their line at times, but eventually Saints’ favourable field position told, with Moses Mbye in support to take Welsby’s last tackle pass and dive over the line.
That gave Saints the breathing space they needed and they almost scored again through Matt Whitley, but some last-ditch Hull defence did enough to keep him out.
That kept the Black and Whites in the contest going into the final ten minutes – and they got their reward, with Lewis Martin adding his 29th try of the season, finishing out wide after a delicious cut out Sezer pass.
Hull continued to throw the dice to the very last set, but Saints hung on – just. They go marching on, but Hull’s season is far from over if they replicate that level of grit next week and beyond. Super League’s final charge is in full swing. What a final month of the regular season we have ahead.
Teams
Saints Starting XIII: 1. Jack Welsby; 2. Kyle Feldt, 26. Harry Robertson, 4. Mark Percival, 30. Owen Dagnall; 6. Tristan Sailor, 14. Moses Mbye; 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. Daryl Clark, 10. Matty Lees; 11. Curtis Sironen, 16. Matt Whitley; 13. Morgan Knowles
Interchange: 7. Jonny Lomax, 12. Joe Batchelor, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 19. George Delaney
18th Man: 23. Jake Burns
Hull Starting XIII: 3. Zak Hardaker; 2. Harvey Barron, 5. Tom Briscoe, 20. Davy Litten, 2. Lewis Martin; 1. Jordan Rapana, 7. Aidan Sezer; 8. Herman Ese’ese, 9. Amir Bourouh, 16. Yusuf Aydin; 11. Jed Cartwright, 12. Jordan Lane; 19. Brad Fash.
Interchange: 16. Jack Ashworth, 4. Ed Chamberlain, 14. Cade Cust, 27. Matty Laidlaw
18th Man: 21. Will Gardiner
Scorers
Saints Tries: Knowles, Mybe. Goals: Feldt 4/5
Hull Tries: Litten, Martin. Goals: Hardaker 1/3
Scoring System: 6-0, 8-0, 8-6, HT, 10-6, 16-6, 16-10, FT
Referee: Liam Moore. Video Referee: Tom Grant
Attendance: TBC