 There can be little argument as to the game of round twenty as the top placed Rhinos took on second placed St Helens at a 'Full House' Headingley Carnegie Stadium.
The Rhinos haven't beaten Saints a Headingley in a weekly round game for five years but were runaway 41-16 winners at Langtree Park earlier in the season. A win for Saints would see them back to the top of the table, but should the Headingley outfit secure the two points it would almost guarantee them going into the split sitting pretty at the top of the table.
It had been an awful, error strewn, opening seven minutes before the Rhinos capitalised on a suicidal Mark Percival offload which allowed Paul Aiton to break for sixty metres. A fast play-the-ball ended up in Kallum Watkins hands and he pushed to the line and grounded one-handed. Sinfield added the extras for 6-0.
On eleven Matty Dawson knocked on twenty from his own line and Leeds used three tackles before Paul Aiton put in a reverse pass to put Kylie Leuluai over from five metres. Sinfield was accurate with the boot and it was a twelve point lead.
Three minutes later and a rampaging break from Leuluai took Leeds downfield before the moved the ball wide left for Ryan Hall to go over off a Danny McGuire pass. Sinfield converted from the left touchline and it was the dream start for the Rhinos.
Both sides had tries ruled out by the video referee (Jimmy Keinhorst who dropped the ball in the act of scoring, and James Roby who knocked on in picking up a loose ball) but it took twenty-four minutes before Ash Handley dove over to score one-handed in by the right corner flag. This time Sinfield failed with a difficult conversion attempt but with a 22-0 half-time lead it was a happy Rhinos dressing room, and a desperate Saints one.
It was a tremendous start to the second half for Saints when a Luke Walsh kick was tapped back by Matty Fleming and picked up and grounded by Josh Jones. Mark Percival slotted over the extras and the fightback was underway.
On forty-nine Zak Hardaker dumped Travis Burns on his head and after initially being shown the red card by Richard Silverwood he put it back in his pocket and pulled out the yellow and Leeds had to keep Saints at bay with twelve me for the next ten minutes.
But it was the Rhinos who scored the next points when Carl Ablett went twenty metres to slide over after evading five attempted Saints tackles. Sinfield failed again with the boot but the comfortable lead was back. Two minutes later and a length of the field passing love ended with Ash Handley benefitting from Watkins and McGuire breaks. Sinfield kicked the extras for 32-6.
We were now getting a feast of tries when a nice passing love saw Saints over for their second through Jordan Turner after Watkins had knocked-on from the kick-off. Percival kicked the goal for 32-12 and it was getting breathless.
Kyle Amor got in on the act on sixty-four when a Roby kick bounced off the post and the big prop won the race to touch down. Percival added the two for 32-18, the Saints players and supporters were starting to believe, but Leeds would soon extinguish their hopes.
Ten minutes from the end and Ash Handley went in for his hat-trick, his second this season against Saints, with a break down the centre from forty metres after Rob Burrow and Sinfield combined to put him through a gap. The Leeds skipper added the extras for 38-18.
On seventy three Ryan Hall joined the Rhinos party when he went down the left wing off a McGuire miss-out pass for his second of the night. Sinfield again goaled the extras from the touchline for 44-18 and the Rhinos victory was secured.
When Andre Savelio fouled Rob Burrow in front of his own sticks it was a simple decision for Sinfield to run down the clock and kick the two for a final score of 46-18, inflicting Saints heaviest defeat of the season.
The Rhinos are now three points clear at the top of the table and have again humbled the defending Champions. Saints are back in the pack and will now need a win against Huddersfield next week to avoid slipping further down the table.
A comprehensive Rhinos win in what was probably their best showing of the season.
Rhinos: Hardaker (YC), Handley (3T), Watkins (T), Moon, Hall (2T), Sinfield (7G), McGuire, Leuluai (T), Aiton, Peacock, Ward S, Keinhorst, Ablett (T). Subs: Garbutt, Cuthbertson, Burrow, Delaney.
Saints: Percival (3G), Dawson, Fleming, Turner (T), Swift, Burns, Walsh, Amor (T), Roby, Masoe, Wilkin, Greenwood, Jones (T). Subs: Walmsley, Flanagan, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Savelio.
Referee: Richard Silverwood
Attendance: 18,114 |
