LEEDS RHINOS 46 CATALANS DRAGONS 4
PHIL CAPLAN, AMT Headingley, Friday

LEEDS maintained their place at the top of the standings and their unbeaten home record with a comprehensive nine-try demolition of Catalans.

Ruthless in defence and far too quick in attack, a blistering start to the second half saw them home.

The Rhinos, settled and virtually injury free, brought Kallum Watkins, Danny Levi and Mikolaj Oledzki back into the starting line-up.

In weather redolent of Perpignan, Ryan Sheridan’s return to AMT Headingley as a head coach, albeit interim, saw his side unchanged after a fine home win over Warrington – yet the performance was a huge contrast.

The atmosphere was set by a minute’s applause for Geoff Burrow. The tone was set by Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet spilling the kick-off.

Leeds gained a set restart from the scrum and Ash Handley skipped over from a Lachlan Miller pass to give the hosts the perfect start.

Catalans got their first look at the Leeds line on the back of a Jack Bird high tackle and back-to-one off a home hand, but spilled the ball on the tryline as mistakes mounted.

When the Dragons were caught offside at the other end, Leeds eschewed the two points but on the last tackle soon after Brodie Croft lofted the ball, Handley knocked it back and Miller sent Maika Sivo over, then Connor goaled from the touchline.

Charlie Staines just prevented a Connor 40/20 but a penalty and set restart again undid the visitors as Connor, with a double pump cut-out pass, sent Ryan Hall in at the corner.

The visitors lost captain Ben Garcia with a bloodied nose and he went on to fail his HIA, but their first half was best summed up when Solomona Faataape gained a penalty with a strong run but Harvey Wilson spilled the ball.

Leeds seemed to have ended the half with a score that emphasised their dominance. Miller and Croft sent Chris Hankinson into a gap and, as he fell, he released the ball to Sivo, but it was ruled out by the video referee as Hankinson’s elbow had touched the ground.

Instead, Julian Bousquet went high on Croft from a Bird offload, but Connor couldn’t kick the penalty from 35 metres out and in front, keeping it at 16-0.

Catalans started the second period more positively, but that was undone when Leeds successfully challenged Aispuro-Bichet knocking on around his own ten-metre mark, from which Levi got over from dummy-half for his first Super League try in Leeds colours.

That was compounded when the Dragons kicked the restart out on the full. After Tom Holroyd went close, Connor sent Cooper Jenkins arcing over.

Leeds made it three tries in five minutes when Jenkins broke clear and had Croft in support.

Even when Miller spilled the ball cheaply, Lewis Dodd kicked early but Zac Lipowicz knocked on in trying to ground the ball.

On the back of their fifth successive set restart, Miller’s long pass sent in Hall for his second.

Catalans gained limited consolation when Faataape broke clear and found Léo Darrélatour in support nine minutes from time.

Leeds finished with a flourish, Catalans reverting to type by losing the ball twice cheaply in their own quarter. James McDonnell made them pay with a fine jinking run and Connor landed a third touchline conversion – his seventh in all.

GAMESTAR: The Leeds halves completely outplayed their opposite numbers and Jake Connor, given an England leg-up this week, was involved in everything.

GAMEBREAKER: Back-to-back-to-back tries at the start of the second half saw Leeds comfortably home.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: Cooper Jenkins breaking through the Catalans defence on a long-range raid and judging his pass perfectly for Brodie Croft to go to the posts.

ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Jake Connor (Leeds)
2 pts Ash Handley (Leeds)
1 pt Danny Levi (Leeds)

MATCHFACTS

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

Tries: Handley (2), Sivo (18), Hall (23, 65), Levi (49), Jenkins (52), Croft (54), McDonnell (77)
Goals: Connor 7/9

DRAGONS
1 Charlie Staines
28 Léo Darrélatour
4 Solomona Faataape
24 Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet
2 Tommy Makinson
6 Toby Sexton
7 Lewis Dodd
15 Iszac Fa’asuamaleaui
19 Kruise Leeming
17 Romain Navarrete
13 Ben Garcia
20 Zac Lipowicz
10 Julian Bousquet
Subs (all used)
8 Tevita Satae
12 Ben Condon
16 Josh Allen
18 Harvey Wilson
18th man (not used)
30 Alexis Lis
Also in 21-man squad
3 Nick Cotric
25 Lenny Marc
26 Ugo Tison

Tries: Darrélatour (71)
Goals: Aispuro-Bichet 0/1

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 12-0, 16-0; 22-0, 28-0, 34-0, 40-0, 40-4, 46-4

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Rhinos: Jake Connor; Dragons: Charlie Staines

Penalty count: 8-5
Half-time: 16-0
Referee: Liam Moore
Attendance: 14,607