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Leeds Rhinos: Rhinos cut Saints' lead at top
Champions Leeds Rhinos cut the gap on engage Super League leaders St Helens to just two points with a 43-30 win at Hull last night.
It was Rhinos' highest score away to Hull, but they had to endure some anxious moments in the second-half after leading 36-12 with 30 minutes left.
The spirited hosts got within seven going into the final 10 minutes, before Leeds closed the game out.
Both sides scored some fine tries, but defensive lapses will have given the respective coaches headaches.
It looked like being a cake walk for Leeds early on, as Ryan Hall crossed twice in the opening seven minutes.
On four, Super League's top try scorer grabbed his 20th club touchdown of the season from a pass by Keith Senior, after Hull had conceded back-to-back penalties.
Referee Ian Smith awarded the score without checking with the video referee, though there was a suggestion Hall may have put a foot in touch as he swooped over.
Sinfield converted from the touchline, then in the next set landed a huge 40-20 kick which led to Rhinos' second try.
From the scrum base, Carl Ablett supplied Sinfield, who passed on to Senior. On one knee, he offloaded back to Sinfield, who put Hall in again, with the Leeds captain adding another angled goal to make it 12-0 after seven minutes.
Hull hit straight back, making the most of a knock-on by Sinfield.
Lee Radford's pass found Shaun Berrigan and he blasted past Jamie Peacock and over Lee Smith for his first try since Easter, converted by Danny Tickle.
The points-feast continued as Jamie Thackray dropped the ball from the re-start and on the subsequent attack Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Rob Burrow, Sinfield and Smith worked the ball to Senior, who crashed over for a try to mark his 500th career appearance.
Sinfield landed a third conversion off the touchline to make it 18-6 after just 14 minutes.
Hull wasted a great chance to get back into the game at the end of the first quarter and were punished.
Smith spilled Berrigan's high bomb, but Willie Manu didn't hear the ref's call of back to one and lost possession with an unnecessary offload.
Rhinos counter-attacked, won a penalty and made the pressure tell as Danny Buderus found Burrow, he ran across the defence and supplied Ashley Gibson and the centre's superb pass put Scott Donald over at the corner.
It was on the opposite flank to Rhinos' first three tries, but Sinfield again converted, via a post.
Hull were denied a second try on 23 minutes by video referee Ben Thaler. Manu powered over from Sam Moa's pass after some nice handling, but Thaler decided Paul King had obstructed Sinfield in the build-up.
Rhinos scored their fifth try eight minutes before the break.
Luke Burgess dumped the ball back, Diskin picked up and supplied Burrow. He found a gap from a standing start, then passed on to the supporting Sinfield, who weaved over to touch down at the corner – putting the icing on the cake with another wonderful goal.
At 30-6 Hull seemed dead and buried, but Rhinos conceded a soft try before the break to give the hosts a glimmer.
Jodie Broughton – on loan from Leeds – should have scored following Kirk Yeaman's break, but slipped with the line begging.
Hull moved the ball right and Chris Thorman and Richard Whiting handled before Tickle went over for a touchdown which he converted himself.
The hosts might have scored again before the interval – after a Smith forward pass gave them a chance – but Donald's superb tackle on Yeaman protected Leeds' big lead. Gibson had a strong game in the centres for Leeds and he was a deserved try scorer at the start of the second half.
Senior and Gareth Raynor exchanged knock-ons near the Hull line and following the home winger's blunder, Sinfield worked the ball to Smith and his excellent pass was well-taken by Gibson for his first try since last August. Sinfield – of course – added the goal from the touchline to make it 36-12.
Raynor made up for his error with the next try, on 51 minutes, touching down Berrigan's kick at full-stretch after Yeaman had been dragged down just short by Smith. Berrigan matched Sinfield with a superb conversion from wide out.
The fightback was on six minutes later when the heavily-involved Yeaman scored a fine try, stretching over from King's pass. Tickle's goal cut Leeds' advantage to just 12 points with more than a quarter of the game remaining.
In the next set Danny Houghton made a clean break but was tackled by Hall, then Peacock and Burrow halted Berrigan just short. Gibson and then Hall both knocked on trying to intercept, before Yeaman fumbled.
Burrow took some of the sting out of the situation with a drop goal with 16 minutes left, but Mike Burnett's try, from Houghton's pass and converted by Tickle, should have set up a tense finale.
Sinfield, though, found touch with his re-start, Burrow's kick forced a drop out and following that, Smith sealed Leeds' win with a try from Ali Lauitiiti's offload, Sinfield completing the scoring with his seventh goal.
Hull: R Horne, Raynor, G Horne, Yeaman, Broughton, Thorman, Berrigan, Thackray, Lee, King, Tickle, Manu, Radford. Subs Houghton, Whiting, Burnett, Moa.
Leeds Rhinos: Smith, Donald, Gibson, Senior, Hall, Sinfield, Burrow, Leuluai, Buderus, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Worrall, Ablett. Subs Diskin, Ratu, Lauitiiti, Burgess.
Referee: Ian Smith (Oldham).
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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