Hull FC produced an attacking masterclass this afternoon to blow Toulouse away with nine tries and 48 points.
Hull’s backs picked up two hat-tricks today as Joe Lovodua shone. There was also a debut try for one youngster.
The win sends Hull FC back into the top four and underpins their solid start to 2022 which has gone under the radar.
Highlights:
Not one but two hat-tricks
A hat-trick is a rare accolade but two in one game is even rarer but today Hull FC’s backs delivered two with Connor Wynne and Darnell McIntosh both scoring three tries today. McIntosh certainly produced the finish of the day with an acrobatic try in the corner to get Hull’s first points of the afternoon. We should also credit Connor Wynne’s pace which was central to more than one try.
Joe Lovodua masterclass
Not only did Joe Lovodua score himself today but he created two tries including one for Kane Evans and a first ever try for one of his teammates.
Debut delight
That try went to Denive Balmforth two minutes after he came on for his debut at 18 finishing off Lovodua’s break.
Match Report:
Coming into the game as massive underdogs, Toulouse caught Hull FC by surprise when the scored the opening try after 11 minutes. The try came from a well-weighted grubber kick and saw centre Junior Vaivai touch down.
That was as good as it got for the French side as between then and halftime, Hull FC ran in 26 unanswered points seemingly sprung into action by falling behind early.
Their opening try came courtesy of Darnell McIntosh who produced an acrobatic finish in the corner to make it 6-4. Seven minutes later, Hull took the lead for the first time when they made it 8-6 with the in form Connor Wynne scoring from a flick pass down the left.
Three tries followed in the last 13 minutes of the first half as Hull took command of the contest. The first came from the always elusive Joe Lovodua taking a short ball to bust through and score.
McIntosh then got a second from a Jake Connor grubber kick with Connor then adding a second conversion of the day to make it 20-6. The Black and Whites then concluded a decisive 13 minute spell with Connor Wynne scoring a second to give Hull a 20-point lead at the break.
As in the first half, Toulouse drew first blood in the second half with Anthony Marion burrowing over from close range to cut the lead back down to 14.
Then came the moment of the match as Denive Balmforth scored on debut just a couple of minutes after coming onto the field as he supported a Lovodua break. Then Connor Wynne completed his hat-trick just after the hour mark showing great pace to do so.
Not to be left out, McIntosh then followed suit scoring his third four minutes later. Jake Connor then added a fifth conversion of the day to make it 42-12.
Then star man Joe Lovodua conjured up another try creating a score for Kane Evans – Hull FC’s ninth of the afternoon to complete the try scoring with Connor’s boot taking the scoreline out to 48-12.