Three rounds after St Helens heavily defeated the Leeds Rhinos
the two sides met at Headingley with the Rhinos seeking revenge and the points
to keep in touch with Wigan and Hull KR ahead of them., Saints knowing that a
win would lift them into third above Leigh and the Rhinos.
Leeds were the favourites with the bookies, handicapped by
six points on the coupon but many pundits thought that this game was too close
to call and the crowd were all set for a cracker of an encounter.
This is the fourth meeting between the two sides in 2025,
Saints with a 2-1 lead thanks to wins in the Challenge Cup and a round fifteen
encounter, the Rhinos winning the Magic weekend game in Newcastle.
Saints put the kick off out on the full, the Rhinos with a penalty
and immediately on the attack which they sustained for the opening ten minutes
as they took the game to Saints.
But on fourteen minutes it was St Helens who took the lead,
Owen Dagnall spinning out of a tackle after taking a Tristan Sailor pass and
dropping to the line to ground. Jonny Lomax was wide with the touchline conversion
but after absorbing the Rhinos pressure the Saints had hit on the counter to
take the lead.
A Jake Connor high tackle on twenty-five allowed Lomax to
kick the penalty to extend the Saints lead to 6-0 on twenty-five.
Some bad discipline from Saints allowed the Rhinos to pile
on the pressure but the Saints defence held firm thanks to a couple of awful final
passes from Jake Connor which both drifted into touch.
Brodie Croft broke for the line with ninety seconds of the
half remaining but had the ball knocked out of his grasp as he went for the
line. Saints went downfield and Mbye attempted a long-range drop goal, the ball
close to the posts.
With Saints having lost both their hookers after failed HIA’s,
the eighteenth man was activated but then it was Leeds turn to kick off out on
the full at the start of the second half.
On fifty-one James McDonnell seemingly took full advantage of
a wickedly bouncing ball which foxed the Saints defence as he took a Croft pass
to score in the corner, but the referee spotted an infringement by Harry Newman,
and the video official agreed to rule out the four pointer.
On sixty-six Agnatius Paasi was sin-binned for a swinging
arm on Alfie Edgell but despite massive pressure from the Rhinos Saints kept
them at bay.
The game was decided by that single first half try and a solitary penalty goal, the Rhinos nilled at home.
All credit to Saints who arrived at Headingley with a game
plan and stuck to it to secure the win and frustrate a Rhinos side who downed
the champions elect last weekend. Both sides put their everything into the game
and defences bossed it with multiple HIA’s and plenty of penalties for high
tackles. Saints are up to third in the table, going ahead of the Rhinos on
points difference, Saints retaining their great recent record over Leeds.
Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Hall, Newman, Handley, Edgell, Connor,
Croft, Jenkins, O’Connor, Oledzki, McDonnell, Watkins, Smith. Subs: Palasia,
Lisone, Bentley, Ackers. 18th Man: Clark-Wood.
St Helens: Sailor, Feldt, Robertson, Percival, Dagnall (T),
Lomax (G 1/2), Mbye, Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Whitley, Knowles.
Subs: Paasi (SB on 6
, Delaney, Wingfield,
Burns.
18th Man: Bennison (Used).
Half-Time: 0-6.
Full-Time: 0-6.
Score Progression: 0-4, 0-6 : HT: (SB) :FT.
Lead Exchanges: St Helens.
Referee: Jack Smith.
