Crucial captain’s challenge call queried by Hull FC coach as RFL query made

Hull FC coach John Cartwright has queried the decision that led to Leeds Rhinos scoring the match-winning try in their dramatic defeat on Friday night.

Hull led for almost all of the contest at AMT Headingley, and were ahead with two minutes remaining. They looked to have earned a crucial break when the Rhinos appeared to have knocked on just near their own line, with Jack Smith awarding Hull a scrum.

However, Leeds used their captain’s challenge successfully after it was deemed John Asiata had dropped the ball first.

Within seconds, the Rhinos had sprung downfield and scored what proved to be the game’s decisive try as Ryan Hall instinctively and brilliantly finished in the corner.

But Cartwright was not impressed, and while praising Hall for his finish, admitted he would like to speak to the match officials to discover why the decision to overturn the original call of knock-on was made.

“He (Smith) called a knock-on, and I didn’t see any evidence to say it wasn’t a knock-on,” Cartwright told Radio Humberside. “I don’t know. I’ll be interested to hear what he’s got to say.”

When asked if the defeat was difficult to swallow given the nature of the late try for Leeds, Cartwright admitted: “It always is when you lose like that.

“No less effort went into the game for 79 and a half minutes than it went into that last 30 seconds. We were there in numbers to try and push him over the sideline; we got there, but he is a big, strong boy, and he’s done that many a time.”

There was some good news for the Black and Whites after the game though, with Jordan Rapana conscious and awake in the changing rooms after a lengthy delay on Friday evening saw him stretchered from the field of play.