LEEDS RHINOS 38 HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS 18
SAM BROCKSOM, AMT Headingley, Sunday
LEEDS will again play Wigan in a Challenge Cup semi-final after coming out on top of the closest last-eight tie of the weekend against Huddersfield.
Back under the leadership of Lois Forsell, the Rhinos got off to a swift start against their West Yorkshire rivals as Ebony Stead scored in the first set of the game.
The fullback broke the line on halfway and rounded her opposite number to score as Mel Howard kicked the conversion – one of only three successes from eight Leeds tries.
They added two further scores in the opening quarter through Sophie Nuttall and Shannon Lacey. The former crossed on the left edge as the Rhinos went down the blindside, before Lacey forced her way over from close range.
A try for both sides rounded off the first-half action. First, Huddersfield crossed from close range through Grace Burnett after forcing an error, then Leeds spread the ball right for winger Liv Whitehead to cross in the corner and forge an 18-6 lead at the break.
While both teams made errors, it was the home side who tended to capitalise on their opponents’ mistakes.
Howard finished off a brilliant try that saw Leeds go 80 metres to score, before Lucy Murray and Ruby Bruce put Leeds 34-6 ahead and end to any slim chance for the Giants.
Huddersfield did score twice in the closing stages, first when loose-forward Bethan Oates broke the line and raced 30 metres, and then through a length-of-the-field interception try by Eva Izumi on the final play of the game, and Sam Hulme completed a 100 percent conversion rate.
But it was too little, too late for Lori Halloran’s side, who conceded again in between when Grace Short powered her way over.
RHINOS: 2 Ebony Stead, 18 Liv Whitehead, 17 Jenna Greening, 22 Connie Boyd, 5 Sophie Nuttall, 6 Mel Howard, 7 Ruby Walker, 10 Izzy Northrop, 9 Keara Bennett, 8 Bella Sykes, 11 Shannon Lacey, 12 Lucy Murray, 13 Bethan Dainton. Subs (all used): 14 Ruby Bruce, 15 Ella Donnelly, 16 Kaiya Glynn, 21 Grace Short.
Tries: Stead (1), Nuttall (12), Lacey (19), Whitehead (34), Howard (52), Murray (59), Bruce (62), Short (72); Goals: Howard 3/8
GIANTS: 1 Amelia Brown, 21 Faye Barraclough, 18 Eva Izumi, 4 Fran Copley, 5 Mollie Iceton, 6 Becky Grady, 7 Sam Hulme, 14 Gracie Hobbs, 27 Millie Taylor, 23 Grace Burnett, 3 Lois Naidole, 25 Madison Hutchison, 13 Bethan Oates. Subs (all used): 6 Frankie Townend, 17 Ellie Thompson, 22 Skye Jackson, 26 Niamh Luck.
Tries: Burnett (27), Oates (65), Izumi (79); Goals: Hulme 3/3
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 10-0, 14-0, 14-6, 18-6; 24-6, 30-6, 34-6, 34-12, 38-12, 38-18
Half-time: 18-6
