LEEDS RHINOS 24 ST HELENS 16
DAVE CRAVEN, AMT Headingley, Thursday

DAVID KLEMMER’S ill-discipline cost St Helens dearly as leaders Leeds Rhinos finally ended their wretched losing run against them.

With an absorbing top-of-the-table contest all square at 16-16, Aussie loose-forward Klemmer hit Chris Hankinson late and off the ball in the 73rd minute to gift Jake Connor two simple points.

And while he was still in the sin bin, Super League’s top try-scorer Maika Sivo struck late on with his 20th of the season to ensure his side secured victory.

Rhinos hadn’t beaten Saints at home since 2017, an eight-match losing sequence, but with the likes of Connor, Kallum Watkins, Ryan Hall and Ash Handley all impressing, they came good here.

Cameron Smith was yellow carded in the final moments for a professional foul but it didn’t take the gloss of this win for Brad Arthur’s side.

After an emotional minute’s applause for the late John Kear, both teams helped deliver a fittingly epic contest.

Saints boss Paul Rowley made the big decision to switch Jack Welsby to his favoured fullback role, as halfback Tristan Sailor was surprisingly shifted to the wing with three widemen unavailable.

George Whitby and Jonny Lomax formed a new halves combination with Jackson Hastings suspended for the visitors – who had suffered a humiliating loss at Castleford last time out – and youngster Whitby fared particularly well.

But dogged Leeds, 16-8 down at the break, eventually edged it.

Connor slotted a third-minute penalty after Curtis Sironen took Brodie Croft out with a late, off-the-ball charge which perhaps could even have merited an early yellow card for the St Helens forward.

But Daryl Clark wriggled through too easily to offload for England colleague Alex Walmsley to go over, Sailor slotting the extras.

Rhinos enjoyed plenty of pressure, especially on the back of a heavy penalty count, but Hall and Sivo were both denied scores.

However, when the hosts enjoyed a successful Captain’s Challenge, they did finally score in the 26th minute.

Connor’s inside pass saw Hankinson cut through a huge gap for the simplest of tries in his 100th Super League game.

Connor improved but, just four minutes later, after Watkins’ high tackle, Saints hit straight back with only their second real attack of note.

The ball was spread right to Lomax whose fine cut-out pass again left Leeds in a mess, Kyle Feldt seeing off Connor’s desperate tackle to score.

But worse was to come. After Saints forced a drop-out via Whitby’s hoisted kick, they kept the ball alive before Welsby dabbed a perfect grubber to the corner for Sailor to expertly finish with just 61 seconds remaining of the half.

Arthur’s side got the best possible start to the second period, though, after Feldt made a hash of Connor’s brilliant crossfield 40/20 attempt to concede a drop-out.

Croft came up with a peach of a pass to put Harry Newman over in the 46th minute.

Sailor then put the restart directly into touch and Connor levelled after Joe Shorrocks slammed Watkins with a high shot.

And then it was Klemmer’s illegal tackle that saw the hosts take control.

GAMESTAR: It would be easy to give to the classy Jake Connor but Kallum Watkins just gets better with age; what an engine in the middle.

GAMEBREAKER: David Klemmer’s 73rd-minute yellow card saw Leeds take control.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: Tristan Sailor’s try off a fine Jack Welsby kick just before half-time.

ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Kallum Watkins (Leeds)
2 pts Jake Connor (Leeds)
1 pt Ash Handley (Leeds)

MATCHFACTS

RHINOS
28 Fergus McCormack
5 Ryan Hall
3 Harry Newman
4 Ash Handley
2 Maika Sivo
6 Brodie Croft
7 Jake Connor
8 Mikolaj Oledzki
9 Jarrod O’Connor
15 Cooper Jenkins
12 James McDonnell
14 Chris Hankinson
11 Kallum Watkins
Subs (all used)
13 Keenan Palasia
17 Cameron Smith
20 Presley Cassell
23 Danny Levi
18th man (not used)
26 Tom Nicholson-Wtton
Also in 21-man squad
10 Tom Holroyd
22 Riley Lumb
33 Jack Bird

Tries: Hankinson (26), Newman (46), Sivo (76)
Goals: Connor 6/6
Sin bin: Smith (80) – professional foul

SAINTS
1 Jack Welsby
6 Tristan Sailor
3 Harry Robertson
4 Mark Percival
2 Kyle Feldt
7 Jonny Lomax
17 George Whitby
13 David Klemmer
9 Daryl Clark
8 Alex Walmsley
16 Matt Whitley
11 Curtis Sironen
22 Joe Shorrocks
Subs (all used)
12 Shane Wright
15 George Delaney
28 Jake Davies
30 Tom Humphreys
18th man (not used)
29 Alfie Sinclair
Also in 21-man squad
5 Deon Cross
20 Lewis Murphy
24 Owen Dagnall

Tries: Walmsley (7), Feldt (30), Sailor (39)
Goals: Sailor 2/3
Sin bin: Klemmer (73) – late tackle

SCORING SEQUENCE: 2-0, 2-6, 8-6, 8-12, 8-16; 14-16, 16-16, 18-16, 24-16

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Rhinos: Kallum Watkins; Saints: George Whitby

Penalty count: 12-6
Half-time: 8-16
Referee: Jack Smith
Attendance: 13,452