LEEDS RHINOS 12 WIGAN WARRIORS 10
STEPHEN IBBETSON, AMT Headingley, Saturday
RYAN HALL made a pivotal – if bizarre – contribution to the winning try on his 500th career appearance as Leeds earned an impressive win over Wigan.
The Rhinos trailed by four points with 13 minutes remaining, when the veteran winger challenged for a high Jake Connor kick alongside Liam Marshall.
The ball bounced off Hall’s head before running along the ground for Jack Sinfield, freshly introduced off the bench, to touch down.
Leeds were full value for their win in a thrilling game, while champions Wigan slumped to a second defeat in succession after their Challenge Cup elimination to Hull FC, and a second in a row at Headingley.
Already reshuffling the backline because of injuries to Jai Field – replaced by Jack Farrimond as Bevan French played fullback – and Adam Keighran, Wigan were further disrupted by an injury in the warm-up to Keighran’s intended stand-in, Abbas Miski.
Jacob Douglas received a late call-up as a result and the young winger’s failure to catch a Connor kick proved costly as James Bentley put Riley Lumb in for the opening try after eleven minutes.
The conversion attempt by Connor – retained at halfback despite the availability of Matt Frawley – rebounded off the post, but he made it 6-0 approaching the half-hour mark after Leeds were awarded successive penalties, the latter for offside try-line defence.
The hosts deserved that lead having edged an attritional battle and it could have been bigger, with two further chances going begging.
Lachlan Miller made a break but gave a pass to the supporting Sam Lisone with a little too much ground still to make up for the French-tackled prop, and shortly afterwards Harry Newman fumbled a promising Connor kick after rising well.
Wigan had barely had a sight of the try-line all half, yet hit back in the final minute when Harry Smith caught out the defence with a cute kick behind for Marshall. Only Smith’s missed goal from the touchline kept the Rhinos in front at 6-4.
Errors early in the second half put Leeds on the back foot and after a couple of close escapes, French made them pay by stepping past Newman to give Wigan the lead for the first time in the 50th minute.
Smith improved the effort and while Lumb – who was taken into touch in the lead-up to that try – crossed in response seven minutes later, the tip-on from Handley was clearly forward.
There was no denying Leeds in the closing stages, however, with milestone man Hall using his head – entirely inadvertently – to great effect, Sinfield scoring the try and Connor adding the conversion.
The final minutes didn’t come without nerves, but Miller made sure of the result when he bravely put himself in harm’s way to deny Douglas.
GAMESTAR: James Bentley has impressed this season and the backrower put in another excellent shift here.
GAMEBREAKER: Ryan Hall is a smart rugby player but he put his head to very different effect to win the match.
HIGHLIGHT REEL: Sam Lisone put in a monster hit on Liam Marshall with his final contribution from the bench.
ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts James Bentley (Leeds)
2 pts Jake Connor (Leeds)
1 pt Keenan Palasia (Leeds)
MATCHFACTS
RHINOS
1 Lachlan Miller
23 Riley Lumb
3 Harry Newman
4 Ash Handley
5 Ryan Hall
6 Brodie Croft
18 Jake Connor
8 Mikolaj Oledzki
14 Jarrod O’Connor
17 Cooper Jenkins
11 James Bentley
12 James McDonnell
10 Keenan Palasia
Subs (all used)
15 Sam Lisone
16 Morgan Gannon
19 Tom Holroyd
20 Jack Sinfield
18th man (not used)
7 Matt Frawley
Also in 21-man squad
21 Alfie Edgell
22 Tom Nicholson-Watton
27 Ethan Clark-Wood
Tries: Lumb (11), Sinfield (67)
Goals: Connor 2/3
WARRIORS
6 Bevan French
26 Jacob Douglas
22 Zach Eckersley
4 Jake Wardle
5 Liam Marshall
24 Jack Farrimond
7 Harry Smith
16 Liam Byrne
17 Kruise Leeming
10 Luke Thompson
11 Junior Nsemba
12 Liam Farrell
13 Kaide Ellis
Subs
15 Patrick Mago
19 Tyler Dupree
21 Sam Walters
23 Tom Forber (not used)
18th man (not used)
20 Harvie Hill
Also in 21-man squad
1 Jai Field
2 Abbas Miski
27 Harvey Makin
Tries: Marshall (40), French (50)
Goals: Smith 1/2
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 6-0, 6-4, 6-10, 12-10
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Rhinos: James Bentley; Warriors: Kruise Leeming
Penalty count: 5-1
Half-time: 6-4
Referee: Jack Smith
Attendance: 15,966