With a week to go until the Rhinos travel to Wembley to take on the red half of the city Hull, they were in town to take on the Black and Whites in a game which could have a massive bearing on the finishing positions ahead for the Super League play-offs in late September.

Top placed Leeds had opted to rest Danny McGuire and Kallum Watkins but we're also without the services of a whole host of other players with injuries including; Cuthbertson, Jones-Buchanan, Aiton, Moon, Delaney and Sutcliffe.

Anything but a win would end Hulls chances of a play-off place and depending on the result over the Pennines at Warrington a Rhinos win could maintain or extend their four point league lead.

After absorbing early Hull pressure it was the Rhinos who got the scoreboard moving on six after a brilliant Zak Hardaker break from a kick retrieval gained sixty metres and on the next play-the-ball Josh Walters fed Ash Handley to go over unopposed. Kevin Sinfield kicked the extras for 6-0.

Two minutes after the Leeds opener and the Airlie Birds struck straight back thanks to some sensational footwork from second-rower Mark Minichiello to bamboozle the Rhinos defence and score under the sticks, giving Marc Sneyd a simple goal to level the scores.

Both sides had scoring opportunities in the remainder of the half but defences were always on top. Leeds had come closest when Jamie Peacock was held up over the line with seconds left on the clock but the teams went into the interval all tied up at six apiece.

Steve Michaels opened Hulls second half account with a fifty metre break downfield which started with a Dean Hadley break and ended with Jamie Shaul pulling in the defenders and sending Michaels over in the left corner. Sneyd missed the conversion but the Black & Whites had a 10-6 lead.

When Hull were punished in their own twenty for blocking the Leeds attackers chasing a Hardaker kick, the Rhinos used their tackles to probe the Hull line before Carl Ablett found a gap to push over and score. Sinfield kicked the goal to re-establish the Rhinos lead with thirty minutes of the game remaining.

The Rhinos lead was extended to eight points on fifty-five minutes when Hardaker broke thirty metres downfield and found Rob Burrow in support to dive over under the sticks and give his skipper a simple goal for 18-10.

With twenty minutes left Jamie Shaul reduced the deficit to two after a Sneyd conversion, but when Hull knocked-on the Leeds kick-off, the ball was moved to the wing for Ryan Hall to scamper in. Sinfield again added the two for 24-16.

With the game becoming fit-for-tat, a Jordan Abdull kick was collected by Jamie Shaul who found Jordan Rankin in support to receive the pass and cross. Sneyd added the extras for 22-24. It was becoming a nail-biter for both sets of fans and the two coaches.

The Rhinos registered the knock-out blow on seventy-two when, with FC playing the ball on the Leeds line, they put the ball to ground only for it to be picked up by Tom Briscoe who went ninety-five metres to dive over under the sticks. Once again Sinfield had a simple conversion to put the Rhinos eight points ahead.

Two minutes out from the final hooter and Sinfield broke down the left wing and just as he was running out of steam he found Rob Burrow supporting on his inside the scamper the last twenty and score. Sinfield converted from out wide for 36-22 and it was all over.

This was Leeds fourth win over FC in 2015 and despite several scares during the game they had enough composure to thwart an aggressive Hull attack and take their chances to score on the counter. The Rhinos maintain their four point gap at the top of the pile, and practically end Hulls' season.

FC: Shaul (T), Naughton, Talanoa, Logan, Michaels (T), Abdull, Sneyd (3G), Paea, Houghton, Watts, Minichiello (T), Hadley, Westerman. Subs: Paleaaesina, Downs, Fash, Rankin (T).

Rhinos: Hardaker, Handley (T), Briscoe (T), Ablett (T), Hall (T), Sinfield (6G), Burrow (2T), Garbutt, Ward R, Singleton, Ward S, Keinhorst, Walters. Subs: Golding, Leuluai, Achurch, Peacock.

Referee: Joe Cobb
Attendance: 7,900