The Rhinos have only lost one game in 2015, the March trip to the Halliwell-Jones to take on tonight's visitors, the Warrington Wolves. Leeds, five points clear of the field after last nights Wigan victory, were firm favourites against a Wolves side who had only managed one win in their last five, since beating the Rhinos on home soil.

But tonight was about more than just the points, it was about Rhinos skipper Kevin Sinfields 500th Leeds performance, only the fourth player in Leeds long history to reach the milestone. Surely the Wolves couldn't upset the odds and spoil the party, as over seventeen thousand descended on Headingley.

The Rhinos dominated the opening five minutes and started the game with four consecutive sets deep in the Wire half, but excellent defence frustrated the home side and kept them scoreless.

After soaking up the Leeds attack, Warrington went on the offensive and opened the scoring on nine minutes when a Ben Currie kick through was touched down for a four point lead. Five minutes later and the lead was doubled when Richie Myler gambled on the last play and broke the Rhinos line before an inside pass to Harrison who put boot to ball allowing Joel Monaghan to,win the race and ground in the corner.

Warrington were in total charge, hard as nails in defence and inventive in attack and there was little surprise when Ashton Sims went over for the third try of the night, this one converted by Ratchford, for 14-0. The Rhinos, who had looked so composed in recent weeks, were at sixes and sevens.

There was some joy for the home supporters just before the interval when Cuthbertson bust tackles to go down the centre and a fast play-the-ball and two miss-out passes put Kallum Watkins over to score one-handed diving in at the corner. Sutcliffe failed to convert for a half-time score of 4-14.

Leeds needed to be much better in the second half but Tony Smith would have been hoping for more of the same and his prayers were answered within two minutes of the restart with the try of the game as Clarke and Ratchford combined to put Ben Currie in under the sticks. Ratchford slotted over the extras and there was daylight between the sides.

On forty-nine Brian McDermotts' nightmare worsened when Ormaby danced around poor Rhinos defence to put Asotasi over. Although Ratchford missed the conversion it was 26-4 and not even the Rhinos could come back from that.

Just after the hour Ratchford added two more points after a Peacock high tackle and when Achurch bulldozed over form Rhinos try with just over ten minutes left on the clock, no-one in the ground believed that it was any more than consolation.

Ratchford hit the upright with a drop goal attempt on seventy-three but Declan Patton was more accurate with his attempt two minutes later to sew up a 29-10 win and inflict the double on the Rhinos, their only two losses of the season.

Warrington fans will have been left wondering where 'this' team has been for the last six rounds as they made very few mistakes, missed hardly any tackles, and were resolute in defence. It was a bad day at the office for the Rhinos and a game that their skipper will want to forget as his five hundredth.

Warrington need to build on this to secure a top four spot and the Rhinos will be looking to put the record straight when the visit Huddersfield next Thursday night.

Rhinos: Hardaker, Watkins, Ablett, Moon, Handley, McGuire, Sutcliffe, Cuthbertson, Aiton, Peacock, Ward, Delaney, Singleton. Subs: Burrow, Sinfield, Achurch, Mulhern

Wolves: Ratchford, Monaghan, Bridge, King, Ormsby, Patton, Myler, Hill, Higham, Sims, Currie, Westwood, Harrison. Subs: Clark, Asotasi, England, Laithwaite.


Referee: James Child
Attendance: 17,440