Leeds Rhinos came from eight points down to beat St Helens 24-16 at Headingley and move to the top of the Super League table. A tense encounter swung in Leeds’ favour late on after a physical, error-strewn first half and a dogged second-half response.
St Helens opened the scoring with tries from Alex Walmsley, Kyle Feldt and Tristan Sailor, building a 16-8 lead by the break. Leeds had several clear opportunities in the first 40 minutes but were guilty of letting good chances slip, although Chris Hankinson did cross for his side on his 100th Super League appearance.
Early in the second half Harry Newman brought Leeds back into the contest with a close-range finish following a clever kick and a neat Brodie Croft pass, and Jake Connor’s accurate boot kept the scoreboard ticking. Connor landed three penalties over the course of the match and finished with 12 points as Leeds tightened up their defence and dominated field position in the final period.
The decisive moment arrived with around seven minutes remaining. St Helens prop David Klemmer was sent to the sin bin for a late challenge on Chris Hankinson, and Connor kicked the resulting penalty to put Leeds ahead. With the visitors down to 12 men, Maika Sivo sealed the win in the 78th minute, touching down for his 20th try of the season — the league’s leading total — before Connor’s conversion wrapped up the victory.
The result ended a decade-long wait for a Leeds win over Saints at Headingley and was just their third success in 24 meetings between the two clubs. It also highlighted Leeds’ growing resilience: after an error-ridden first half they remained patient, controlled field position and defended stoutly when it mattered.
St Helens head coach Paul Rowley lamented the effect of field position and the wind, admitting his side made “silly errors at silly times” but praised his players’ effort. Leeds boss Brad Arthur said the team had to “fight really hard” and pointed to the squad’s growth in managing frustration and sticking to the game plan. Mikolaj Oledzki, named player of the match, described the win as a gritty response after a disappointing performance against Wigan earlier in the season.
Leeds now sit top of the table and will look to build on this momentum as the Super League season continues. Upcoming fixtures and events include the Catalans Dragons v Wigan Warriors match in Paris, the Magic Weekend in July and the end-of-season play-off schedule culminating at Old Trafford in October.