Game 5,000 of the Super League era had been designated as
the clash between seventh placed Warrington Wolves, and the side just ahead of
them in the league table on points difference, the Leeds Rhinos as the
Halliwell-Jones Stadium played host.
The home side were slight favourites with the bookies with
the Rhinos getting a six-point start on the handicap coupon, but both sides had
three wins in their last five and both secured great wins last time out against
St Helens and the Wigan Warriors.
Warrington had been victors in the last three encounters,
all played last season, the last time that the Rhinos were victorious was in
August 2023, and the last time they won a the Halliwell-Jones was two months
earlier in July 2023.
Leeds named the same seventeen which defeated Wigan last
time out while Warrington’s injuries forced the shuffling of the side,
including the recall of Stefan Ratchford.
It was a bright start for the Rhinos, but a Matt Dufty pass
released Aaron Lindop inside his own half who broke, chipped over the Leeds
defence, collected the ball and went in to score an excellent solo try. Marc
Sneyd added the conversion for a 6-0 lead on thirteen minutes.
Leeds struck back on seventeen with a great team try, a ‘no
look’ pass from Jake Connor putting James McDonnell through a gap to score
under the sticks, the Wolves fans agitated about a dubious forward pass from
Connor. Connor added the conversion, the sides tied up in what was developing
into a great encounter.
After Riley Lumb went close on twenty-six the Rhinos
recycled the ball and after initially moving to the right they came back to the
left with a great ball from Connor finding Lumb in more space, the Leeds winger
able to go down the wing to score in the corner. Connor was just wide with the
conversion, Leeds with a 10-6 lead.
Great offense from the Wolves forced Ash Handley into touch
close to his own line on thirty-one but the Rhinos defence held firm against an
expansive attack.
Connor attempted a drop goal from forty metres in the dying
seconds, the ball not making it to the posts but it had been a breathless first
forty minutes, Leeds taking a narrow advantage into the sheds, after both sides
made the most of some refereeing errors.
Riley Lumb was clattered as he took the second half kick-off
and spilled the ball just outside his own twenty. Leeds had to defend their
line for three sets of tackles before regaining possession inside their own
twenty.
Expansive and imaginative play from the Rhinos saw them in
for their third try of the game with an acrobatic Ryan Hall effort seeing him
ground in the right corner, off a Lachlan Miller pass, while airborne over the
touchline. Connor hit the crossbar with his conversion attempt, the ball
bouncing back into the field of play.
The hour came and went with the Rhinos retaining their eight-point
lead.
Holroyd was offside on the last tackle play-the-ball putting
his colleagues under extreme pressure and on the fourth tackle Stefan Ratchford
spun out of the tackle and stretched for the line for the second Wolves try of
the night. Sneyd added the conversion; the Rhinos lead down to just two points.
As the game entered the last ten minutes it was still anyone’s.
Leeds lost Keenan Palasia on seventy-three for a high tackle
on Lachlan Fitzgibbon, the Rhinos to play out the last seven minutes with
twelve men.
Within a minute of the sin-binning, Ratchford released Jake Thewlis
on the overlap down the left side for the winger to score in the corner. Sneyd
was well wide with the conversion attempt, the lead still two points but now with
Warrington.
Leeds conceded a penalty deep in Wolves territory with
ninety seconds remaining and the game slipped away as the clock counted down.
It was a game befitting the milestone of the 5,000th
game in the Super League era. Both sides came out of the sheds wanting to play
expansive football, but determined in defence and it dealt up a great spectacle
for the viewer. In the end it took the Rhinos going down to twelve men before
Warrington scored the winning points to lift them to third place in the table
ahead of the remaining fixtures.
Warrington Wolves: Dufty, Thewlis (T), Ratchford (T),
Currie, Lindop (T), Williams, Sneyd (G 2/2), Musgrove, Walker, Vaughan,
Holroyd, Fitzgibbon, Harrison. Subs: Powell, Yates, Philbin, Wood. 18th
Man: Russell.
Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Lumb (T), Newman, Handley, Hall (T),
Croft, Connor (G 1/3), Oledzki, O’Connor, Jenkins, Bentley, McDonnell (T), Palasia
(SB on 73). Subs: Gannon, Lisone, Holroyd, Sinfield. 18th Man:
Frawley.
Half-Time: 6-10.
Full-Time: 16-14.
Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 6-4, 6-6, 6-10 : HT: 6-14,
10-14, 12-14, (SB), 16-14 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Warrington – Square – Leeds - Warrington.
Referee: Tom Grant.
