The final game of the opening day of Magic was the most mouth-watering
fixture of the afternoon as St Helens took on the Leeds Rhinos with fourth
place up for grabs for the victor, the two sides starting the game separated by
just points difference on the league table.
Saints were slight favourites with the bookies, but this was
a different Rhinos side to the one which St Helens knocked out of the Challenge
Cup by 22-14 a couple of months ago, but the Rhinos were seeking their
first win over Saints in two years.
St Helens brought back skipper Jonny Lomax after he was left
out of the side for the last three games.
After being trapped in their own twenty for the opening couple
of minutes the Rhinos broke free and scored a sensational opening try through and
Ash Handley break, a delightful Morgan Gannon grubber to the corner, and a clean
pick up and score from Riley Lumb. Lachie Miller pulled his conversion attempt
wide of the posts.
Another sensation break from the Rhinos saw them in for
their second, this one down the right-hand side with the ball through five sets
of hands, Miller figuring twice in the move and taking the inside pass to run
over without a Saints hand laid on him. Miller added the conversion, the Rhinos
10-0 ahead.
A dangerous tackle from Morgan Knowles on James McDonnell saw
Leeds point to the sticks but Miller was unable to kick the penalty.
The Rhinos spent the last two minutes of the half defending their
own line but made it to the interval with it intact, two moments of supreme
quality seeing the Rhinos with a 10-0 interval lead.
Six minutes after the restart Saints were right back in the
game, Matt Whitley busting an tackle and then throwing the dummy and dipping
the shoulder to go over to grab a lifeline for the red vee. George Whitby was
wide with the conversion attempt, the difference between the sides a converted
try.
A Tristan Sailor intercept should have resulted in a second
Saints try but great Leeds scrambling defence saw him stopped and a failure to
play the ball correctly gave the initiative back to Leeds.
A Leeds knock-on on fifty-sis. James Bentley trying to
gather a loose ball, gifted Saints possession in a great position but Leeds made
the tackles, and Miller eventually diffused the kick through.
Lewis Murphy was sin-binned on the hour mark for jumping
into a challenge with Alfie Edgell, leading with the knee.
From the resulting penalty the Rhonos moved the ball
downfield and once in decent position Jack Sinfield kicked a drop goal to
extend the lead to seven points.
With three minutes remaining Leeds sealed the win when
Gannon pushed his way over the line and managed to force the ball onto the
ground. Miller added the extras and the Rhinos had sealed a rare win over
Saints by 17-4.
In a game which didn’t live up to the billing, both sides
made plenty of errors which could have seen the game swing either way. Leeds
controlled the first half, but Saints were the better side for the majority of
the second. The outcome of the game hinged on the controversial sixtieth minute
sin-binning of Murphy which then saw Sinfield drop the crucial goal in the
following minutes. Leeds are up to fourth in the league table but are still far
from the finished article. Saints are in a heap of trouble on the back of three
consecutive losses.
St Helens: Sailor, Bennison, Cross, Percival, Murphy (SB on
60), Welsby, Whitby (G 0/1), Paasi, Mbye, Lees, Sironen, Whitley (T), Knowles. Subs:
Lomax, Walmsley, Clark, Delaney. 18th Man: Wingfield.
Leeds Rhinos: Miller (T, G 1/3), Edgell, Newman, Handley, Lumb
(T), Connor, Sinfield (DG), Palasia, O’Connor, Oledzki, Gannon (T), McDonnell, Watkins.
Subs: Holroyd, Lisone, Bentley, Jenkins. 18th Man: Frawley.
Half-Time: 0-10.
Full-Time: 4-17.
Score Progression: 0-4, 0-8, 0-10 : HT: 4-10, (SB), 4-11, 4-15,
4-17 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Leeds.
Referee: Jack Smith.
