Saints 27

Hull FC 14

SAINTS sat proudly on top of Super League following this11th successive win, but only after Hull had provided the stiffest challenge of the season.

For the highly-organised Humbersiders led at half-time and remained in contention throughout, and it speaks volumes for short-handed Saints that they triumphed against a side whose close marking allowed little room for manouvre.

If ever there was a game where victory had to be ground out this was it, given a high error and penalty rate on a day not for the purist, when the spectacular gave way to good old-fashioned rugby with every yard contested.

A point underlined by Saints boss Ian Millward who said: "I was more worried about today's match than next week because Hull are a top-five side and ex-Saints coach Shaun McRae knows most of my players.

"It was a tough, physical contest and I was happy with four-to-two try ratio and a marked defensive improvement, particularly in the first half when Hull enjoyed the lion's share of possession."

McRae conceded that his side should have had more points on the board by half-time, and thought Hull's ball control left a lot to be desired in admittedly blustery conditions.

Shaun forecast Saints would play a more expansive game later but believed they were flattered by the final margin, and he was critical of certain decisions which left him wondering whether the rule book had been re-written.

However, and to coin a phrase, here was an intriguing confrontation where Saints 'hung on in there,' despite having having to replace Freddie Tuilagi with a damaged ankle and Scott Barrow because of a stomach injury.

Kiwi centre Kevin Iro earned the Linacre Plant man-of-the-match award with another display of massive authority, while captain Chris Joynt's incredible workrate made him Ian Millward's choice.

Apollo Perelini, Sonny Nickle and that tried-and-tested trio of 'Saint Pauls' -- Wellens, Sculthorpe and Atcheson -- regularly caught the eye, while the fact that three of the home side's tries were scored by substitutes was also noteworthy. Hull raced into a shock lead after just 58 seconds when Steve Collins broke on the right, with his chip-ahead richocheting of a post leaving Wellens stranded for Brian Carney to touch down.

Ben Sammut converted, but Saints hit back when Sean Long landed a penalty when Mick Jenkins 'flopped' on Barrow, and the Knowsley Road squad then had a try disallowed when Iro sent in Chris Smith.

Offside was costing Hull dearly in terms of penalties but, conversely, it was the Boulevarders who forged into an 8-2 lead when Sammut was on target after Long fouled Paul Cooke.

Carney left the fray with a head wound following an accidental collision with Perelini, while David Maiden's tackle on Joynt saw the incident placed on report in a fiercely-contested battle of attrition.

Fully 24 minutes ticked by before Joynt crashed over for Saints' first try after Wellens had delivered the crucial pass. Long failed to square matters with the conversion.

Atcheson on Richard Horne and Wayne McDonald, plus Iro and Sculthorpe on Craig Simon, all saved Saints' bacon in a desperate pre-interval rearguard action as Hull sought their first win at Knowsley Road since 1988.

On the restart Saints quickly levelled matters with a penalty when Hull wandered offside yet again, and the home side then took the lead for the first time when Sculthorpe dropped a goal.

With 35 minutes still remaining the one-pointer was testimony indeed to the keenness of the exchanges but, after Joynt had cleared a try-laiden 'bomb' by Sammut, undeterred Hull snatched the lead again.

And it was the 6ft 7in McDonald who, sent away by busy hooker Jenkins, ploughed through Patch's tackle to score, with Sammut's conversion meaning Hull lead 14-9 as the final quarter loomed. It was now that Saints dug deep into reserves of steel and character as Joynt put Bryan Henare over for his first try in Saints' colours, with Long's in-off-the-upright goal restoring the initiative at 15-14 on 70 minutes.

Brilliant approach work then saw John Stankevitch send fellow super-sub Tony Stewart underneath the pavilion uprights, while a surging break by Iro was rounded off by Atcheson, with Long goaling both tries.

Hull's tale of woe was compounded when Sammut lost the ball in the act of touching down. However the huge Humberside support could console themselves with their team's gutsy display and the rendering of their anthem 'Old Faithful.'

Saints: Wellens; Smith, Iro, Newlove, Sullivan; Sculthorpe, Long; Nickle, Barrow, O'Neill, Perelini, Tuilagi, Joynt. Substitutes Atcheson for Barrow (20), Stankevitch for Tuilagi (28), Henare for O'Neill (35), Stewart for Nickle (66), O'Neill for Henare (76).

Hull FC: Sammut; Carney, Collins, Simon, Bird; Cooke, Horne; Broadbent, Jenkins, Felsch, Maher, Grimaldi, Maiden. Substitutes McDonald for Carney (22bb), King for Broadbent (53), Wilson for Maher (57), Broadbent for Felsch (69), Gene for Jenkins (70).

Referee: Russell Smith.

Attendance: 8,146.