WESTS WARRIORS 0 LEEDS RHINOS 92
PHIL CAPLAN, AMT Headingley, Leeds, Saturday
WITH further re-evaluation of this round of the Challenge Cup in the offing, the value of Super League sides facing community opposition was put under the microscope as Leeds ran in 16 tries from ten different scorers to comprehensively dispose of Wests Warriors.
Wests, though the home side, came to have an experience. All the fans got behind them with commemorative pictures as they ran out, and while the Rhinos faithful were there to see records set, none were.
Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur paid tribute to the opposition in his analysis.
“We wanted to focus on our discipline, we didn’t want the game to get loose, to respect ourselves and the competition, but overall we’re happy that we got through the game,” he said.
“We also want to thank the opposition, they played the full 80 minutes and kept turning up. We’ve just been in and thanked them, they played the game in the right spirit.”
Despite a sparse crowd with only two stands open, the Rhinos lined up strongly with debuts for Jake Connor, Cooper Jenkins and Keenan Palasia, while Wests drafted in former pro Iliess Macani.
Leeds scored at the end of their first set to establish a point-a-minute first half, Ryan Hall charging up the middle and finishing in the corner for the first of a hat-trick of tries on his competitive Headingley return after a Brodie Croft kick on the last was palmed back.
A three-man last ditch tackle denied Ash Handley but as space was made on an overlap by Jake Connor – who became Leeds’s 1,500th player – Handley fed Riley Lumb in at the corner.
The set after, Handley again broke clear, Connor trailing to cross and from the restart, Cameron Smith showed power and dexterity with a lovely offload to send in Jack Sinfield, who started at hooker.
With it starting to look like an opposed training session for the Rhinos, Croft’s long pass saw Harry Newman, on his 100th Leeds appearance, send Hall across for his second.
Wests had their best spell around quarter time, with Blake Nahu showing a fine offload and Tama Gribble smashing Connor with a sensational tackle.
Kennan Palasia was commendably held up but, after another Handley run, Smith bulldozed between the posts, and on the last of the next set Connor sent in Morgan Gannon.
Sinfield went solo out of dummy-half for Matt Frawley to make it 44-0 at the welcome break for the Southern Conference side.
Leeds’ procession continued at the start of the second half. Lumb was denied because of Gannon being offside from a kick but, again running on the last, Gannon shipped Sam Lisone over.
Lisone made it two in three minutes, latching onto an Andy Ackers break, and Sinfield went solo with a lovely try in a notable performance.
Unfortunately, it was curtailed on the hour after a swollen ankle injury but not before he had sent Alfie Edgell – returning from a broken jaw – over with a glorious pass and Tom Holroyd had outjumped the Wests defence to pouch a Frawley kick.
From the incident that saw Sinfield go off, Hall claimed his third and Connor – who finished with 32 points – kicked the touchline conversion.
Connor’s sublime delayed pass then sent in Gannon and the try-scoring was completed when Lisone latched onto Smith’s long pass.
Wests had three second-half highlights. Jacob Thomas just failed to get to a Macani kick inside, Reiss Walker went into touch from a Will Poching pass, and Max Devlin forced a goalline drop-out.
“We’ll soak up this whole experience,” said Wests’ coach Kimbo Parkinson. “It didn’t worry our guys we were playing against a professional outfit.
“We were realistic, but we wanted to do our club and London RL proud and we did. The scoreline doesn’t reflect what we are going to take way from this.”
GAMESTAR: Ash Handley and Cameron Smith stood out, but for the hour he was on, at hooker and halfback, Jack Sinfield was excellent.
GAMEBREAKER: Leeds scored on their opening attacking set and the tone was set.
MATCHFACTS
WARRIORS
1 Blake Nahu
2 Iliess Macani
3 Tama Gribble
4 Harrison Nichols
5 Russ Walker
6 Jacob Thomas
7 Jack Payne
8 Louis Robinson
9 Neil Thorman
10 Keanu Laumatia-Paki
11 Will Poching
12 Tyler Johnson-Thomas
13 Liam O’Callaghan
Subs (all used)
14 Max Devlin
15 Sam Griffiths
20 Mike Greenhalgh
21 Judd Greenhalgh
RHINOS
18 Jake Connor (D)
23 Riley Lumb
3 Harry Newman
4 Ash Handley
5 Ryan Hall (D2)
6 Brodie Croft
7 Matt Frawley
17 Cooper Jenkins (D)
20 Jack Sinfield
10 Keenan Palasia (D)
12 James McDonnell
16 Morgan Gannon
13 Cameron Smith
Subs (all used)
9 Andy Ackers
15 Sam Lisone
19 Tom Holroyd
21 Alfie Edgell
Tries: Hall (2, 16, 59), Lumb (9), Connor (11), Sinfield (14, 48), C Smith (25), Gannon (28, 64), Frawley (33), Lisone (43, 46, 71), Edgell (53), Holroyd (56)
Goals: Connor 14/16
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-10, 0-16, 0-22, 0-28, 0-34, 0-38, 0-44; 0-50, 0-56, 0-62, 0-68, 0-74, 0-80, 0-86, 0-92
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Warriors: Louis Robinson; Rhinos: Jack Sinfield
Penalty count: 4-2
Half-time: 0-44
Referee: Matty Lynn
Attendance: 1,310
