Hull of a win in Perpignan
Hull consigned Catalans Dragons to a sixth straight Super League loss with a 28-14 triumph at Stade Gilbert Brutus.
Last Updated: 15/05/10 10:10pm
Hull bounced back from their Magic Weekend nightmare against Harlequins with a 28-14 victory over bottom club Catalans Dragons in Perpignan.
Sean Long marked his return from injury with an influential display, the experienced scrum-half having a hand in three of his side's four first-half tries that helped the Airlie Birds into an 18-point lead.
Fit-again duo Craig Fitzgibbon and Danny Tickle, who kicked four goals, also made telling contributions in a comfortable triumph at Stade Gilbert Brutus.
The Dragons replied with tries from Setaimata Sa, Sebastien Raguin and Steven Bell but still suffered a sixth straight Super League defeat.
Hopes dashed
Any hope that the French side had of building on their thrilling Carnegie Challenge Cup victory over Crusaders were dashed inside 40 minutes.
Hull had already wasted one glorious chance to break the deadlock when Tom Briscoe accepted Jordan Tansey's pass to cross in the eighth minute.
The Dragons, who this week have been linked with a move for Melbourne Storm half-back Brett Finch, did show some fight in the 15th minute, albeit through David Ferriol landing several blows on Danny Washbrook.
Unsurprisingly referee James Child sin-binned the French forward, though Kirk Yeaman was perhaps a little unlucky to be singled out for a yellow card for his part in the fracas that broke out between both sets of players.
With both teams down to 12 Hull crossed for a second time, Fitzgibbon accepting Long's short pass before forcing his way over from close range.
Sa got Les Catalans on the scoreboard when he took Dimitri Pelo's offload to dive over, and the hosts looked set to score again when they won three successive penalties close to Hull's line.
Superb Long
However they failed to turn the period of pressure into points, the Black and Whites then showing them how it should be done when Mark O'Meley fended off three tacklers to score from close range following Long's superb 40-20.
Richard Whiting enjoyed an easy run-in down the right and although Tickle couldn't convert from tight to the touchline, the Black and Whites still led 22-4 at the break.
Despite huffing and puffing, the Dragons were unable to breathe fire into the contest during the second half.
Any hopes they had of a comeback were then dashed when Tansey stripped the ball in a one-on-one tackle on Dan Carlaw before waltzing over the try-line.
Raguin touched down to get the hosts into double figures in the 69th minute before Bell went over out wide in the closing minutes, the two late scores making the final scoreline a little more respectable for coach Kevin Walters.
