Leeds Rhinos make big statement of intent at Magic Weekend – Peter Smith’s verdict

It was the first time this year they have beaten a top-six team who went into the game in good form.

It lifted Leeds in the Betfred Super League table and kept their top-six hopes alive.

Most emotionally, it came on a day when club legend Rob Burrow was high up in everyone’s thoughts, his daughters Macy and Maya having designed Rhinos’ kit and Tigers also wearing a jersey which raised money for the fight against motor neurone disease.

Rhinos proved they can play without captain Kruise Leeming and having only one specialist half-back, Aidan Sezer.

Fittingly, the number seven had a fine game for Leeds, scoring one try providing the final pass for another and being involved in the touchdown which began his side’s second-half dominance.

For the first time this year, Rhinos backed up one very good performance with another and a team who rarely looked like scoring earlier in the campaign have now run in 96 points in two matches.

Once again, there were positive signs for the future, besides the remarkable improvement in Leeds’ attack under coach Rohan Smith.

Corey Johnson, 21, came into the starting line-up, out of position at stand-off, for his first top-flight game since March. Now recovered from a knee injury, the specialist hooker sometimes practices in the number six role, during 13-on-13 training sessions.

Sezer took on most of the play-making responsibilities, but, against his hometown club, Johnson kept things moving and was strong in defence.

For the second time, Smith opted to start with Jarrod O’Connor, a back-rower, at hooker.

He is a year younger than Johnson, though more experienced in terms of first-team games and did a fine job for 52 minutes, before making way for Brad Dwyer who was recalled after two matches on the sidelines.

With Leeds down to just two props, another rookie, 21-year-old Sam Walters, again came off the bench as a replacement ‘middle’ and put in a couple of strong stints.

The backs tend to get the praise when a team piles up the points, but Leeds’ forwards deserve great credit for their efforts over the past two matches, against bigger opponents.

When Mikolaj Oledzki and Matt Prior were rested, Rhinos didn’t have an out-and-out front-rower on the field, but the second-rowers filling in put their bodies on the line.

Concerns for Rhinos were an injury to Zak Hardaker and Aidan Sezer’s yellow card.

Hardaker picked up a dead leg early in the game, played on, but had to go off nine minutes into the second half, which meant Rhyse Martin moving from second-row to centre.

Sezer was sin-binned in the closing stages after a high tackle on Danny Richardson.

Though it sparked a half-hearted reaction, it didn’t look much and Sezer was adamant the impact was on the shoulder.

However, the match review panel and disciplinary have been firm with Leeds this year and the possibility of a suspension is far from ideal, particularly with Leeming (foot) and Austin (calf) both on the casualty list, Harry Newman still banned and Jack Walker on loan at Hull.

Tigers went into the match having similar problems, missing captain and hooker, Paul McShane and with Richardson their only half.

Greg Eden, a winger, had to fill in at stand-off and obviously their attack wasn’t as sharp as they’d have hoped.

How much petrol it took out of Eden’s tank was illustrated in the second half when he intercepted Dwyer’s pass four minutes from time.

He was run down by Ash Handley, which was an astonishing effort from Leeds’ acting-skipper, who had earlier scored his 100th Rhinos try to begin their second-half flurry.

Cas created three chances in the opening period and scored twice, to Rhinos’ one from two.

They looked fairly comfortable at that stage, after a dour 40 minutes, but Rhinos got on a roll after the break and Cas weren’t able to stem the flow.

They did, though, show good spirit to dig in late in the match, grabbing the final two tries, in the last 10 minutes, to make the scoreline much more respectable that it looked at 34-20.

Buerta Faraimo, on the right-wing, was excellent for Tigers, crossing twice.

His kick set up Castleford’s opening try for centre Jake Mamo and he went in from acting-half to give them the lead.

Faraimo doubled up nine minutes from time, after Cas got the ball back from a short restart following Leeds’ sixth touchdown, crossing from Mamo’s pass.

Mahe Fonua, on the other flank, went over in the 78th minute, in the set after Sezer’s yellow card. Richardson’s second goal completed the scoring

Earlier, Matt Prior powered in from O’Connor’s pass on 13 minutes to give Rhinos the lead, Martin landing the first of his five conversions.

Handley, Sezer and Richie Myler – off excellent work by Liam Sutcliffe, who had a fine game – all scored to open a 12-point gap going into the final quarter. Man-of-the-match Cameron Smith put James Bentley over and Sutcliffe deservedly scored Leeds’ final try, from Sezer’s offload.