Hull send
Saints packing

St Helens suffered an engage Super League mauling at the hands of a vibrant Hull by 44 points to 6 on Friday night at a stone cold KC Stadium - highlighting the wind of change currently howling through the famous club.

Just days after the sacking of coach Ian Millward for gross misconduct, the players he left behind could not pick themselves up and were superbly dismantled by an excellent Hull performance.

Jamie Thackray, Richard Horne and Richard Whiting were the stand-out performers for the home side, who closed the gap on Saints - who lie above them in second place - to three points.

The appearance of owner Eamonn McManus on the big screen brought a chorus of boos from the away following but they remained muted for the duration of the tie as Hull posted eight tries to secure an excellent win.

After an opening spell which was all about the power of Thackray and his front row partner Ewan Dowes, Hull opened the scoring after 17 minutes.

Excellent handling from Shayne McMenemy allowed Whiting to cross to the right of the posts and although Paul Cooke missed the goal, he was soon converting a much easier chance.

After Sean Long attempted to test the home defence with a high bomb, Nathan Blacklock plucked the ball from the air and raced the length of the field to score under the posts.

With Saints reeling they were dealt a further blow as half-time approached as Shaun Briscoe swooped for a brace inside three minutes. Both tries were created by the impressive Horne, one with a deft kick through the line on the 30-minute mark, the other an inside pass after he had streaked clear of the defence.

In last week?s cup win over Bradford, Hull raced into an interval lead only to be stifled in the second half, however there was to be no repeat showing tonight.

In the 45th minute Cooke dabbed the ball in goal and although three Saint?s defenders offered cover, Whiting rose above them all to take the ball on the bounce and touchdown for a memorable score that spoke volumes about Hull?s desire on the night. Danny Brough?s touchline goal was symbolic of Hull?s performance.

Saints hit back briefly with a try from Maurie Fa?asavalu but any slight hopes of a comeback were ended when McMenemy crossed for a deserved try after King created a gap for the forward to breeze into.

Horne then added a score of his own following a majestic spin of full back Paul Wellens, with Cooke converting on both occasions.

Paul McNicholas rounded the evening off in fine style for the home side when he collected King?s pass with some gusto to force his way over the line. Cooke failed to add the goal but it mattered little.

Hull: Briscoe, Blacklock, Saxton, Yeaman, Raynor, Cooke, R. Horne, Dowes, King, Thackray, McMenemy, Kearney, Whiting. Replacements: Carvell, Brough, McNicholas, Washbrook.

St Helens: Wellens, Gardner, Lyon, Gilmour, Albert, Hooper, Long, Fozzard, Cunningham, P. Anderson, Wilkin, Bennett, Sculthorpe. Replacements: Edmondson, Higham, Mason, Fa'asavalu.

Hull (22) 44. Tries: Whiting 2, Blacklock, Briscoe 2, McMenemy, R. Horne, McNicholas. Goals: Cooke 5, Brough.

St Helens (0) 6. Tries: Fa'asavalu. Goals: Long.

Referee: Karl Kirkpatrick (Warrington)

Att: 10,862

Thanks to www.superleague.co.uk