Leeds Rhinos 30 St Helens 18

It was another hard match for Leeds. They started off like true champions. Despite early St Helens pressure, they quickly got into their stride and slick passing saw first Mark Calderwood and then Chev Walker cross the line. Sinfield added the conversion and within ten minutes they were 12 – 0 ahead. But it was clear that the Saints were not there just to make up the numbers. They applied pressure and Paul Sculthorpe came up with one of his specials. Taking the ball at the play-the-ball he suddenly accelerated between two Leeds forwards, knocking them aside, charged down field and the backing up three quarters were able to outpace the Leeds cover. The Saints then really applied pressure and Cunningham scored a special from close in. Leeds were really rattled. The opposition were finding weaknesses on the Leeds left and around the ruck at the play-the-ball. Leeds were really missing Matt Diskin.

Nevertheless, as at Hull, Leeds always had the class to hit back. A pinpoint pass by McGuire put Mathers through the Saints’ defence. In reply the visitors had a kick through to the Leeds line covered by Mathers who spent so much time waiting for it to go dead that he let in Talau to score for the Saints. At half time the score was 18 all.

In the second half Saints made ferocious efforts to break down the Leeds defence but this time Leeds did not have their customary second half wilt. They absorbed everything that was thrown at them and hit back. They opened the half with a Poching try and spent the next twenty minutes meeting everything that Saints could throw at them. Then as the visitors started to tire they made the game safe twelve minutes from time with a second try by Calderwood. The final minutes saw Leeds controlling the game as a tired Saints side ran out of steam.

It had been a thrilling game and a full stadium seemed to thoroughly enjoy the match. There were too many errors on both sides but this seemed to be caused more by the pressure which each side exerted in its defensive aggression rather than any lack of skill. The fact that Saints tired at the end when Leeds still seemed to have something spare suggests that the visitors had played above their standards whereas the Leeds side still do not seem to have quite reached their peak. Perhaps they will not reach this peak until Diskin is back from injury.

Hull Sharks v Leeds Rhinos (post mortem) and looking ahead to Leeds Rhinos v St Helens

Hull 12 Leeds 16

Leeds may be the world club Rugby League champions but Hull did not seem to realise it. The weather was not favourable to open play, it was teeming with rain and any advantage that Leeds would have in star players and classy backs would seem to be nullified. Hull came at Leeds as if determined to throw them into the nearby River Humber. Nevertheless Leeds showed their class and despite the Hull pressure it was the Rhinos who scored the only two tries of the half due to hard tackling in defence and slick professionalism in attack. In the second half Hull seemed to increase their fervour and though Senior scored for Leeds, finally Hull scored two tries to narrow the gap. It seemed as though Hull would manage to level things or even win in the last few minutes but Leeds hung on with desperate tackling to take the points.

Next Friday is a very interesting game as the Rhinos host St Helens. The Saints carried out a most convincing demolition of a strong Widnes side last weekend. They may have lost their British international Mark Gleason but they seem to have more than made up for that by recruiting Australian international Jamie Lyon. Last year they were let down by a lightweight pack but the recruitment of giant prop Paul Anderson from the Bulls has added the weight which was needed. The side is one to watch and Leeds will need to be on top form to take the points.