Boss salutes 'brave' Leeds Rhinos after last-gasp win v Hull FC

Leeds hit back from 10-0 down in the first half and 16-4 adrift soon after the interval to snatch a precious 18-16 victory thanks to Ryan Hall’s try with less than two minutes remaining. It was Rhinos’ second successive victory and keeps them in fourth place on the Betfred Super League table.

“It was brave,” Arthur said in his post-match press conference. “Against Hull KR three weeks ago we got ourselves in a winnable position and found a way to lose it, the next week - against St Helens - when we got in a winnable position we found a way to hang on and win. Tonight, we came from behind and found a way to win it so we are learning some lessons while still collecting some points, which is good.”

The coach insisted: “The thing I am really impressed with is we are 11 rounds in and the want and desire is there. That’s not down to me, that’s the players - they are making those choices. That’s the bit I am really excited about. They have given us something to work with. We are miles away from our best footy, but at least we are getting better each week.”

Arthur admitted he was “pretty happy with myself tonight, actually” for remaining calm when his side were 12 points behind, but identified an area he reckons he should have handled better. Rhinos started well, but seemed to lose their way after an 11-minute stoppage early in the game when Hull’s Jordan Rapana was hurt trying to tackle Jake Connor.

Rapana left the field on a stretcher, but the visitors’ coach John Cartwright confirmed he was “up and about” after the game. Arthur reflected: “We started really well, we probably just needed to go back and start over again. That’s something I can look at, if that situation ever happened again, how I could do better as a coach to get them ready for that. I need to be better there.

With Hull leading 16-10 midway through the second half, Rhinos half-back Brodie Croft - making his comeback after four games on the casualty list - pulled off a stunning try-saving tackle on ex-Leeds man Tom Briscoe. Arthur said: “There was a spell of three or four sets in a row on our tryline and from there I thought ‘you know what, we are going to win this - it is going to come down to the last couple of minutes and we are going to come up with something big’. You don’t always get what you deserve, but I was thinking we deserve on the back of that defence to fight our way back and it would be good for our spirit.”

Hall’s winning try came moments after Leeds successfully challenged a decision of a knock-on against Kallum Watkins near Rhinos’ line. “I think Ash Handley, with his leadership, has really grown,” Arthur said of the co-captain. He is playing some really good football.

“We had three big plays from three experienced players at the back end of the game: Kallum nice and cool under pressure on the last tackle, he doesn’t get his hands anywhere near the ball.

“They were nice and calm with that challenge, they knew what they needed to do, then Ash comes up with a nice carry down the left-hand side of the field, then Ryan Hall on the other side scores a try that not many blokes would. That’s three bits of leadership from experienced players and that’s what their job is.”

But Arthur spared a thought for the beaten visitors. “You’ve got to give credit to them,” he said. “They played really well; they didn’t give us much, they completed high and kicked well and probably beat us at the simpler things in the game. We’ve got plenty to learn from it, but at least it didn’t cost us two points.”