LEEDS RHINOS 34 HULL KR 8
PHIL CAPLAN, AMT Headingley, Friday

LEEDS completed a big month undefeated to move two points clear at the top and send out a message that they are the rapidly becoming the real deal.

They also seem to have the Indian sign over Rovers with a fourth successive win and again by a significant margin, in front of the biggest Rhinos crowd for over six years.

Maika Sivo bagged another pair of tries and Jake Connor imperiously ran the show for 70 minutes until going off with a minor injury complaint.

On an emotion-fuelled evening, the fixture was designated the Rhinos’ annual MND Awareness game with former team-mates of Rob Burrow on the field before the match, Leeds wearing a special cornflower kit, and Rob and Lindsey’s children, Macy, Maya and Jackson, bringing on the match ball.

The only change for Leeds in a period of selection consistency was the return of Tom Holroyd on the bench for Presley Cassell.

Although Oliver Gildart was back, Hull KR – already without Arthur Morgue, Joe Burgess and Sam Luckley – were dealt further blows with Sauaso Sue and Jez Litten failing fitness tests. Noah Booth started and Jordan Dezaria came onto the bench,

And things only got worse for them as front-rowers Dean Hadley and Tom Amone collided and went off for HIAs on six minutes. The former failed his test.

Tevita Pangai Jr came on, along with Rhyse Martin, and was quickly put on report for a late effort on – and a hand in the face of – Connor, who kicked the resulting penalty.

A foul on Mikey Lewis saw Martin level on his old stomping ground, while Pangai Jr made amends by helping Tyrone May take Sivo over the sideline as he looked for a try.

Amone returned with a bandage across his nose, while the visitors held their line superbly against a penalty and two set restarts.

Connor created the opening try after half an hour with a grubber into the in-goal for earlier green-carded Chris Hankinson to cross.

In a purple patch for the hosts before the break, expansive play twice involving both Lachlan Miller and Ash Handley saw Connor loft a ball over the top for Sivo to go over – his ninth consecutive try-scoring appearance, tying Leeds’ Super League record – and Connor goaled from the touchline.

Rovers lost the ball in the lead up to half-time, Holroyd went on a charge and was held down in a professional foul. Martin was sinbinned and Connor’s penalty made it 16-2.

Two Rovers errors early in the second half went punished when Connor went high, Handley batted the ball back and Cameron Smith and Hankinson sent in Sivo again, with Connor on the mark once more from out wide.

Rovers gained back-to-back penalties and Tyrone May’s lovely, lobbed pass put Booth in at the corner, but their respite was only temporary as Jai Whitbread knocked on from the set restart and Connor gathered to go over for, incredibly, his first try of the season.

Jai Whitbread was then denied a try when picking up a rolling ball as May had knocked on from a high kick.

Leeds were going up a blind alley but another superb Connor kick forced a fifth goalline drop-out, Lewis took it short but Jarrod O’Connor was aware and, at the end of the set, Handley went over in the corner.

Mikolaj Oledzki seemed to have gained due reward for his efforts late on but there was deemed to be an obstruction as he crossed.

GAMESTAR: Even though he went off after 70 minutes, Jake Connor ran the show – a try, faultless seven goals and creating torment virtually every time he touched the ball.

GAMEBREAKER: In the last-minute lead-up to the break, Hull KR lost possession, Tom Holroyd charged up field, Rhyse Martin was sinbinned and Jake Connor’s penalty made it 18-2; the Rhinos’ platform was set.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: Jake Connor impishly toying with the Rovers defence as he gathered a loose ball to go over for his first try of the season.

ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Jake Connor (Leeds)
2 pts Mikolaj Oledzki (Leeds)
1 pt Danny Levi (Leeds)

MATCHFACTS

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

Tries: Hankinson (31), Sivo (37, 45), Connor (58), Handley (70)
Goals: Connor 7/7, Miller 0/1

HULL KR
14 Jack Broadbent
2 Tom Davies
3 Peta Hiku
4 Oliver Gildart
21 Noah Booth
6 Mikey Lewis
7 Tyrone May
11 Dean Hadley
19 Karl Lawton
10 Tom Amone
16 Jai Whitbread
12 James Batchelor
13 Elliot Minchella
Subs (all used)
17 Rhyse Martin
20 Jordan Dezaria
22 Bill Leyland
35 Tevita Pangai Jr
18th man (not used)
34 Ryan Hampshire
Also in 21-man squad
8 Sauaso Sue
9 Jez Litten
30 Cobie Wainhouse

Tries: Booth (56)
Goals: Martin 2/2
Sin bin: Martin (39) – professional foul

SCORING SEQUENCE: 2-0, 2-2, 4-2, 10-2, 16-2, 18-2; 24-2, 24-8, 30-8, 34-8

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Rhinos: Jake Connor; Hull KR: Jai Whitbread

Penalty count: 7-8
Half-time: 18-2
Referee: Chris Kendall
Attendance: 18,456