ST HELENS 22 LEEDS RHINOS 14
PHIL CAPLAN, Totally Wicked Stadium, Friday
ST HELENS repeated last season’s elimination of Leeds from the Wembley trail to go 12-11 ahead in meetings between the teams in the Challenge Cup.
Morgan Knowles led the home forward charge, Tristan Sailor and Jonny Lomax worked off the back of it and Harry Robertson was a constant threat, the scorer of a third try in five minutes after the break that saw the Red Vee home.
Matty Lees returned for Saints while Lachlan Miller was back for the visitors for the first time this season, seeing Jake Connor move to the halves.
The temperature dropped appreciably as the sun set and, in a cat-and-mouse opening, Leeds twice chose to run initially on the last tackle and were winning the territory battle. James McDonnell conceded a penalty and Knowles was prominent in getting the hosts downfield, but they lost the ball and gave away a penalty themselves.
Saints kicked long and gave away a seven-tackle set, Brodie Croft responding and pinning them on their own line. Daryl Clark made a half-break but Jack Welsby’s kick was shallow and turned over.
Jack Connor forced a drop-out with a grubber while McDonnell and Harry Newman went close with a cross-field run before Saints were pinged on the last in front for stealing the ball and Connor opened the scoring.
In the next set, Miller lost the ball on his own 40, Jonny Lomax was taken late and Alex Walmsley went close from a Knowles pass, but Tristan Sailor kicked early and, again, long.
Ash Handley made a half-break up the middle, but Clark caught the Leeds markers offside and, on the last, Lomax chipped to the corner. Robertson batted it back to Joe Batchelor who returned it right to Kyle Feldt to go over in the corner, from where Mark Percival struck a touchline conversion.
Batchelor went off for an HIA, which he failed, while Newman and Ryan Hall brought Leeds forward until Sam Lisone spilled Keenan Palasia’s pass.
Lomax’s rainbow pass saw Jon Bennison make good ground and Knowles fed Welsby who was cleaned out by Connor. Newman subsequently diffused a Lomax chip as the half ended with a four-point home advantage.
James Bentley gained a back-to-one and Newman forced a drop-out early in the second half but an ill-judged pass by Lisone on the second tackle was spilled by Morgan Gannon, allowing Robertson to break clear and send Tristan Sailor over.
Two minutes later, Knowles’s pass sent George Delaney careering up the middle and Lomax positioned Matt Whitley over.
Percival was wide with the conversion attempt for the only time but in the next set Leeds were penalised, Knowles again looked strong, Lomax took a run and Sailor’s judicious grubber saw Robertson react quickest to cross by the posts for 22-2.
Not for the first time, Saints let a Connor kick bounce and Newman gained a repeat set, Handley pouching Connor’s kick for the Rhinos’ first try in 155 minutes to give them some hope.
When Miller and Newman made ground on the right, Miller’s cross-field kick gained a repeat set and Jack Sinfield went close but Connor’s pass to the left fired over the touchline.
Welsby kicked a 40/20 to relieve the pressure but the Leeds line held Clark’s charge before Miller made a break from a penalty and Connor forced a drop-out.
On the back of a penalty, Newman saw a gap from Croft’s pass and impressively stepped over for a try improved by Connor, but it was too little, too late for the Rhinos who haven’t beaten a fellow Super League in this competition in the five years since they last lifted the trophy.
GAMESTAR: Morgan Knowles ruled the midfield with imposing defence, frequent strong charges and an array of delightful defence-splitting passes.
GAMEBREAKER: Three tries in five minutes at the start of the second half gave Saints a winning margin to make the quarter-finals.
HIGHLIGHT REEL: Harry Robertson looks a fabulous talent and his ability to get between two Leeds players to Tristan Sailor’s kick bore that out.
MATCHFACTS
SAINTS
1 Jack Welsby
2 Kyle Feldt
26 Harry Robertson
4 Mark Percival
5 Jon Bennison
6 Tristan Sailor
7 Jonny Lomax
8 Alex Walmsley
9 Daryl Clark
10 Matty Lees
11 Curtis Sironen
12 Joe Batchelor
13 Morgan Knowles
Subs (all used)
16 Matt Whitley
17 Agnatius Paasi
18 Jake Wingfield
19 George Delaney
18th man (not used)
15 James Bell
Also in 21-man squad
14 Moses Mbye
21 Noah Stephens
23 Jake Burns
Tries: Feldt (25), Sailor (51), Whitley (53), Robertson (56)
Goals: Percival 3/4
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
9 Andy Ackers
17 Cooper Jenkins
11 James Bentley
12 James McDonnell
10 Keenan Palasia
Subs (all used)
15 Sam Lisone
16 Morgan Gannon
20 Jack Sinfield
22 Tom Nicholson-Watton
18th man (not used)
14 Jarrod O’Connor
Also in 21-man squad
21 Alfie Edgell
27 Ethan Clark-Wood
– Jack Smith
Tries: Handley (61), Newman (76)
Goals: Connor 3/3
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-2, 6-2; 12-2, 16-2, 22-2, 22-8, 22-14
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match:
Saints: Morgan Knowles; Rhinos: Harry Newman
Penalty count: 6-4
Half-time: 6-2
Referee: Liam Moore
Attendance: 7,531