LEEDS RHINOS 22 CASTLEFORD TIGERS 4
PHIL CAPLAN, AMT Headingley, Sunday

IF SIN CITY saw Leeds Rhinos at their most flamboyant, this was a performance that relied on committed defensive scramble and, again, the strike power of Maika Sivo.

Leeds coach Brad Arthur had said that the win in Las Vegas would mean nothing if they couldn’t back it up, but his side posted four tries to one to overcome the determined Tigers.

Along with Brodie Croft, James McDonnell was missing for the hosts after suffering a late back injury. Ethan O’Neill returned and Jeremiah Mata’utia was on the bench, with new signing Jack Bird the 18th man. Brock Greacen, although selected in their initial 21-man squad, was still not yet ready to debut for the unchanged Tigers.

Castleford recovered from fumbling the kick-off as Krystian Mapapalangi caught Jake Connor’s high kick on the last tackle and Mikaele Ravalawa gave his first powerful charge opposite Sivo in an excellent battle of the Fijian finishers.

The Tigers then ran a kickable penalty, with Jason Qareqare thrown into touch in the corner after they spread the ball left.

Connor again kicked high on the last, the ball coming off Ravalawa, with Ash Handley gathering and Keenan Palasia supplying an overhead pass for George Brown to go over between the posts to open the scoring after ten minutes.

Palasia then tried an offload on his own 30, but was tackled by the hard-working George Hirst, before Tom Weaver created the space for Darnell McIntosh to send Ravalawa in at the corner, too far out for Weaver to succeed with the conversion attempt.

With George Lawler adding impetus off the bench for Joe Westerman, who made his 400th Super League appearance, and Daejarn Asi and Weaver exerting more influence in midfield, Liam Hood went close and Lachie Miller was taken in the air by Ravalawa from a Weaver kick.

Zac Cini lost the ball on half way and, from a set restart, Brown forced a goal-line drop-out and Weaver failed to send it ten metres.

Cameron Smith was just held short, and Miller lobbed the ball to Sivo, who crashed through Ravalawa in the corner for his seventh try of the campaign.

Leeds then delightfully spread the ball on the set from the restart, but the Tigers replied through Ravalawa, who had another thundering run up the middle but was stopped by Miller.

Brown salvaged a Harry Newman offload and Smith plunged over but he was held up by Jordan Lane and knocked on. Newman and Brown then took Qareqare into touch and McIntosh defused Miller’s chip to end a hard-fought half with Leeds six points ahead.

Early in the second half Ravalawa threw Sivo into touch, before Darnell McIntosh went off for a head-injury assessment. His replacement Jack Ashworth then knocked on at the play-the-ball.

On the last tackle Connor kicked high, Miller knocked the ball back and Kallum Watkins’ long pass put Sivo in again, with Connor goaling from the touchline.

Connor sent the ball for a seven-tackle set and the Tigers received a penalty. Qareqare threatened and Asi sent Hirst into a gap, but Brown cover-tackled and forced a knock-on.

The Tigers were then penalised twice before O’Neill went close and Connor found Hankinson (on for Handley) whose lovely flick pass sent Sivo in for his hat-trick try, with Connor again on target with the boot from out wide.

The Tigers threatened late on but Ryan Hall prevented a score from an Asi offload and the Rhinos made it three wins out of four to go second in the table.

GAMESTAR: Three more tries, to take it to nine in three games, mean that Maika Sivo is already a Headingley hero.

GAMEBREAKER: Sivo’s second try just after the break, fashioned by the excellent Kallum Watkins, gave the Rhinos a lead they then looked comfortable with.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: Chris Hankinson’s lovely flick pass to send Maika Sivo in for his third try, and the beaming smile from the winger to match.

ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Maika Sivo (Leeds)
2 pts Kallum Watkins (Leeds)
1 pt Mikaele Ravalawa (Castleford)

MATCHFACTS

RHINOS
1 Lachie Miller
2 Maika Sivo
3 Harry Newman
4 Ash Handley
5 Ryan Hall
27 George Brown
7 Jake Connor
15 Cooper Jenkins
23 Danny Levi
13 Keenan Palasia
11 Kallum Watkins
16 Ethan O’Neill
17 Cameron Smith
Subs (all used)
10 Tom Holroyd
9 Jarrod O’Connor
14 Chris Hankinson
19 Jeremiah Mata’utia
18th man (not used)
33 Jack Bird
Also in 21-man squad
8 Mikolaj Oledzki
12 James McDonnell
24 Ned McCormack

Tries: Brown (10), Sivo (28, 45, 53)
Goals: Connor 3/4

TIGERS
3 Zac Cini
5 Mikaele Ravalawa
4 Darnell McIntosh
23 Krystian Mapapalangi
22 Jason Qareqare
6 Daejarn Asi
7 Tom Weaver
8 Renouf Atoni
9 Liam Hood
16 Joe Westerman
11 Jordan Lane
32 George Hirst
13 Joe Stimson
Subs (all used)
10 George Lawler
15 Jack Ashworth
25 Sam Hall
31 Ashton Golding
18th man (not used)
17 Chris Atkin
Also in 21-man squad
14 Brock Greacen
19 Brad Singleton
30 Jimmy Beckett

Tries: Ravalawa (17)
Goals: Weaver 0/1

SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-4, 10-4; 16-4, 22-4

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Rhinos: Maika Sivo; Tigers: Mikaele Ravalawa

Penalty count: 7-7
Half-time: 10-4
Referee: James Vella
Attendance: 15,301