LEEDS RHINOS 14 HULL KR 20
PHIL CAPLAN, AMT Headingley, Friday
BRILLIANT Hull KR scored three tries in eight minutes to deservedly take the spoils in an absolute thriller which saw one sinbinning, two sendings-off and some glorious touchdowns.
In the lead-up, Leeds head coach Brad Arthur noted that this clash would be a benchmark against Super League’s front-runners, and they showed that they are not too far off the best as they took a 14-6 lead.
But Ash Handley’s dismissal aided the Robins’ fightback and Mikey Lewis scored the decisive try with five minutes remaining.
Rovers were without both their first-choice wingers and Willie Peters opted to move Peta Hiku from the heart of the action, where he has been so effective this season, to the flank and recalled ex-Rhino Jack Broadbent to the starting line-up.
For the hosts, Mikolaj Oledzski returned from suspension and Matt Frawley was dropped to 18th man, replaced by Jack Sinfield.
Before the hosts could exploit any perceived advantage outwide, within four minutes Sinfield was back behind the touchline, sin-binned for a high tackle on Arthur Mourgue on a kick return. The Rhinos were also briefly down to eleven men when Jake Connor was green carded.
Rovers exploited the overlap as Lewis and Hiku exchanged passes and after Lachlan Miller made a fine saving tackle, a quick exchange to the left enabled Tyrone May, Mourgue and Oliver Gildart to put Broadbent in at the corner.
Mourgue’s conversion attempt hit a post and in the aftermath Ryan Hall limped off with an ankle injury having collided with Miller.
But Leeds regrouped, holding out Sauaso Sue on their line and, after a penalty on a chaser from a Lewis kick, forced Elliot Minchella into a knock-on.
Miller took a quick-tap penalty and raced 30 metres up the middle, then provided a superb, long switch pass for Connor who grubbered inch-perfectly for Handley to gather and cross wide out.
While Miller couldn’t convert, he edged them in front via a penalty after Connor jinked inside Jez Litten who caught him high.
That was cancelled out by Mourgue when James Bentley was high on Lewis, who also skewed a field-goal attempt wide before the break.
Defences remained tight in the opening exchanges of the second period, until Leeds broke the stalemate with a sensational try.
Bentley fed Connor who sent Handley into a gap, and he interchanged passes with Riley Lumb for the winger to go over in the corner as Miller goaled from the touchline.
Sam Lisone made an immediate impact on his introduction, trampling Kelepi Tanginoa with one carry and then, making a break, Sue halted him with a high tackle which saw him controversially red carded.
Miller made it an eight-point lead with the subsequent penalty and things were looking very good for Leeds – but how things turned in the final quarter.
First Bill Leyland went close and a Lewis kick to the posts was knocked forward by May, ruling out Jai Whitbread’s grounding.
When Sinfield kicked long to concede a seven-tackle set, Lewis fed the excellent Whitbread through a gap and Gildart sent Broadbent racing to the corner for his second as Mourgue again hit a post.
The numbers were levelled in the 71st minute when Handley was late and high on Morgue and, again in highly contentious fashion, sent off.
Mourgue and Hiku then put James Batchelor in at the corner to level the scores but Mourgue couldn’t convert.
From the restart, Lewis’ cut-out pass sent Broadbent down the touchline and Lewis took the return pass to go to the posts and finally decide an action-packed contest.
GAMESTAR: The work-rate of Jai Whitbread kept his side in the game and he helped fashion Jack Broadbent’s momentum-turning second try.
GAMEBREAKER: Mikey Lewis started and finished a sublime move to give Rovers the points six minutes from time.
HIGHLIGHT REEL: Riley Lumb’s try involved magnificent interplay down the South Stand side.
ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Jai Whitbread (Hull KR)
2 pts Peta Hiku (Hull KR)
1 pt Lachlan Miller (Leeds)
MATCHFACTS
RHINOS
1 Lachlan Miller
5 Ryan Hall
3 Harry Newman
4 Ash Handley
23 Riley Lumb
18 Jake Connor
20 Jack Sinfield
8 Mikolaj Oledzki
14 Jarrod O’Connor
17 Cooper Jenkins
12 James McDonnell
16 Morgan Gannon
10 Keenan Palasia
Subs (all used)
28 Kallum Watkins
19 Tom Holroyd
11 James Bentley
15 Sam Lisone
18th man (not used)
7 Matt Frawley
Also in 21-man squad
21 Alfie Edgell
22 Tom Nicholson-Watton
– Presley Cassell
Tries: Handley (22), Lumb (46)
Goals: Miller 3/4
Sin bin: Sinfield (4) – high tackle
Dismissal: Handley (71) – late tackle
HULL KR
35 Arthur Mourgue
3 Peta Hiku
12 James Batchelor
4 Oliver Gildart
18 Jack Broadbent
6 Mikey Lewis
7 Tyrone May
8 Sauaso Sue
9 Jez Litten
10 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
11 Dean Hadley
20 Kelepi Tanginoa
13 Elliot Minchella
Subs (all used)
16 Jai Whitbread
15 Sam Luckley
21 Jack Brown
25 Bill Leyland
18th man (not used)
19 Danny Richardson
Also in 21-man squad
23 Lee Kershaw
27 Leon Ruan
28 Zach Fishwick
Tries: Broadbent (9, 66), Batchelor (73), Lewis (75)
Goals: Mourgue 2/5
Dismissal: Sue (58) – high tackle
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 4-4, 6-4, 6-6; 12-6, 14-6, 14-10, 14-14, 14-20
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match:
Rhinos: Lachlan Miller; Hull KR: Jai Whitbread
Penalty count: 5-5
Half-time: 6-6
Referee: Chris Kendall
Attendance: 16,863
