ST HELENS 20 LEEDS RHINOS 20
LORRAINE MARSDEN, Totally Wicked Stadium, Saturday
ANYONE prepared to write Leeds off this season, given the amount of changes they have seen this year, will surely be thinking again as the showed guts and determination to bounce back from last weekend’s Challenge Cup semi-final drubbing by sharing the spoils with St Helens.
The Rhinos dominated for much of the game and will but just couldn’t see it out to the end as Saints forward Vicky Whitfield scored at the death to earn last year’s Grand Finalists a point.
Still feeling the effects of the heavy semi-final defeat to Wigan seven days earlier, Leeds coach Lois Forsell was forced to move Bethan Dainton to the centre in place of Connie Boyd, with Ella Donnelly handed a start in the pack in the absence of Bella Sykes.
Both Boyd and Sykes failed HIAs in the cup game but Ruby Walker – who limped out of that game – was fit to return, with Kaiya Glynn taking Dainton’s spot at loose forward.
Saints too made changes with Faye Gaskin and Emily Rudge taking knocks in their semi-final win over York. Caitlin Casey moved into the halves alongside Zoe Harris, with Katie Mottershead making a rare start at hooker. Alyx Bridge started in pack for Rudge with Caitlin Maylor handed a spot on the bench.
Putting their 44-14 defeat firmly behind them, Leeds started strongly and piled pressure on the hosts from the start. That sustained effort eventually paid off with Saints conceding back-to-back drop-outs, and after the second the Rhinos finally found their way through.
After the Saints defence held both Mel Howard and Shannon Lacey up over the line and tackled Dainton just short, Keara Bennett spotted a gap and scooted over from dummy-half.
Soon after going close through Jenna Greening, who was unable to gather Walker’s kick, another goal-line drop-out further increased the pressure from Leeds and resulted in Izzy Northrop crossing. Howard’s conversion put the Rhinos into double figures.
But that didn’t put Saints off and, in a rare foray into Leeds’ half, Saints too defended hard and when Phoebe Hook halted Ebony Stead in the in-goal area Saints finally found they way into the game.
A neat pass on the line from Katie Mottershead found impact prop Whitfield to stretch over close to the posts, albeit not close enough for Zoe Harris to add the conversion in what proved the last meaningful action of the half.
Leeds came out firing in the second period, and in the very first set drove the ball forward. When the ball bounced kindly for Howard, the Australian acted to quickly to score on just the second play, but she was unable to convert her own score to further increase the lead.
Whitfield went close to a second but was held up, and after Leeds lost Grace Short to injury Saints tried their best to take advantage of the disruption. In consecutive plays Amy Hardcastle was held up and Dani McGifford was forced into touch before she could ground the ball.
But Saints did eventually find more points when a Harris ball found Shona Hoyle, who raced over 30 metres to the line, with Luci McColm adding the conversion.
That score sparked a scoring frenzy as Leeds went straight up the other end and hit back when Stead squeezed through a gap for the Rhinos’ fourth try and Howard’s second conversion, before a brilliant pass from Beri Salihi sent McColm over for Saints.
In the final ten minutes, Howard’s drop-goal attempt went wide, while McGifford hauled Ruby Bruce down just short of the line and denied a try that would have almost certainly sealed the game for Leeds.
As it was, they were left to hold on and when smart link-up play between Jodie Cunningham and Whitfield sent the prop powering over for her second, and McColm ensured a tie with the conversion.
GAMESTAR: Vicky Whitfield was back to her powerful best, taking Saints forward at crucial times and bagging two tries to boot.
GAMEBREAKER: With both sides never giving up, it was only when the final hooter sounded that the result was decided.
MATCHFACTS
SAINTS
1 Beri Salihi
2 Phoebe Hook
3 Erin Stott
4 Amy Hardcastle
25 Dani McGifford
6 Zoe Harris
17 Caitlin Casey
10 Chantelle Crowl
9 Katie Mottershead
16 Darcy Stott
11 Shona Hoyle
24 Alyx Bridge
13 Jodie Cunningham
Subs (all used)
8 Vicky Whitfield
15 Georgia Sutherland
19 Caitlin Maylor
23 Luci McColm
Tries: Whitfield (38, 75), Hoyle (55), McColm (61)
Goals: Harris 0/1, McColm 2/3
RHINOS
2 Ebony Stead
24 Tally Bryer
17 Jenna Greening
13 Bethan Dainton
18 Liv Whitehead
6 Mel Howard
7 Ruby Walker
10 Izzy Northrop
9 Keara Bennett
15 Ella Donnelly
11 Shannon Lacey
12 Lucy Murray
16 Kaiya Glynn
Subs (all used)
14 Ruby Bruce
19 Grace Field
21 Grace Short
23 Frankie Blakey
Tries: Bennett (14), Northrop (31), Howard (41), Stead (59)
Goals: Howard 2/4
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-10, 4-10; 4-14, 10-14, 10-20, 14-20, 20-20
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Women of the Match
Saints: Vicky Whitfield; Rhinos: Mel Howard
Penalty count: 6-3
Half-time: 4-10
Referee: Oliver Salmon
