Hull FC marked their return to action following a series of positive Covid‑19 tests with a 31-12 victory against Huddersfield to give Andy Last his first win as coach five months after his appointment. There have been moments of promise in 2020 for Hull, but when you consider what they have had to contend with in recent weeks this must rank as their best display of the season. Having had to stand down from a round of fixtures this month because of a dozen positive tests among their playing and coaching staff after defeat against Salford, they were still without a number of key players here. Such is the protocol surrounding testing that they have had minimal preparation time and spent the majority of the past three weeks in quarantine, unable to train. Yet at times here it was their opponents who looked like the side who had been so heavily disrupted. The game was effectively decided by half-time; by then, Hull had established a 28-6 lead – all while losing their pivotal scrum-half, Marc Sneyd, to an ankle injury which led to him leaving the ground in a protective boot. Sneyd was among five try-scorers in that first half for Hull. He seized upon an error to make it 10-0 shortly after his half-back partner, Albert Kelly, provided a wonderful solo finish to break the deadlock. Sneyd’s inch-perfect kick for Josh Griffin extended their lead, and even his departure did not disrupt their rhythm. Within seconds of him leaving the field, Kelly turned provider for the young forward Jack Brown before Mahe Fonua scored their fifth try to make it 28-0. An Ashton Golding try before half-time, even so early in the game, seemed nothing more than mere consolation. The fact they did not score again until the 62nd minute, when Jordan Turner crossed, emphasised that. Not even Fonua being sent to the sin-bin late-on initiated a collapse from Hull, and the manner in which they stood up to such adversity is to be commended. The reigning champions, St Helens, remained within touching distance of the leaders, Wigan, after a marvellous performance from their captain, James Roby, helped them to a 32-18 win over Hull KR – who remain bottom of the table with just one win all season.