Hunslet 50 Leeds Rhinos 12: men against boys in Jepson Trophy derby

Rhinos' Bailey Aldridge is tackled by Steve Crossley and Harvey Whiteley. Picture by Craig Hawkhead/Leeds Rhinos.

Hunslet made it five successive wins in the Harry Jepson OBE Memorial Trophy, but a very young Leeds Rhinos side were more competitive than the 50-12 scoreline suggests.

Rhinos trailed by only six points at the interval, however Hunslet - whose Betfred League One season begins away to Doncaster next Sunday - made their experience count in a dominant second half.

Leeds matched Hunslet in the middle for most of the game, with Tom Nicholson-Watton – in particular – and Freddie Brennan-Jones both going well, but the Parksiders were too big and strong on the edges, right-centre Adam Ryder scoring four of their nine tries.

Hunslet defended their line well and moved the ball around in impressive fashion.

Ben Littlewood on the ball for Rhinos against Hunslet. Picture by Craig Hawkhead/Leeds Rhinos.

Harvey Whiteley, one of five Leeds academy products in Hunslet’s side, impressed and veteran prop Steve Crossley set a solid lead. Nathan Newbound was another home player to catch the eye.

Rhinos’ side was built around the team which won last year’s academy title. None of them had played a first team game and physically, they were over-matched, but they showed some nice skill.

Stand-off Kai Morgan, who scored an excellent solo try in the second half, asked questions of the League One side’s defence and Shane Tuohey and Riley Lumb were both lively with ball in hand, though collectively Leeds’ players have some growing to do before they can mix it with adults.

The first half was evenly-matched, but Leeds weren’t in the game after the break and Hunslet brought up the half-century with Jake Sweeting’s seventh conversion, after the final hooter.

Rhinos' Jack Johnson runs at Lewis Wray and Steve Crossley of Hunslet. Picture by Craig Hawkhead/Leeds Rhinos.

Ryder scored Hunslet’s opening two tries, both off passes by Jimmy Watson, after eight and 21 minutes.

In between, Leeds tested the Parksiders defence, with Will Shaw almost stepping through but being kept out by Harvey Hallas and Nicholson-Watton and Ben Littlewood both going close.

Rhinos finally got some reward after 29 minutes when Bailey Aldridge darted from acting-half and Joe Gibbons was on his shoulder to slice over for a fine try which Kai Morgan converted.

Hunslet had been on the back foot, but rallied soon afterwards when Daniel Barcoe went over from close-range. Hunslet had what would have been an excellent score chalked off in the closing stages of the half, Kieron Lawton making a fine take from Sweeting’s kick and doing well to get the ball down, only to be ruled offside.

That was the first of three successive penalties for Leeds, the last of which sparked a skirmish which led to Hunslet’s Michael Knowles and Rhinos’ Ashton Robinson being sin-binned. Morgan took the two after the half-time hooter to make it 14-8 at the interval.

Ryder, though, completed his hat-trick just three minutes into the second period and Joe Burton went over on the other flank moments later, making it 26-8.

On 53 minutes Morgan stepped into space and beat several defenders from 40 metres out, but Lumb couldn’t convert and that was Rhinos’ last hurrah.

Ryder added his fourth touchdown soon afterwards and following that Hunslet began to find gaps in the middle with Sweeting, Crossley and Newbound all going over in the closing stages.

Hunslet: Watson, Render, Ryder, Burton, Lawton, Sweeting, Conroy, H Hallas, Whiteley, Crossley, Jordan-Roberts, York, Knowles. Subs Barcoe, Newbound, Syme, Wray, Bull, Croston, Wheeler.

Leeds Rhinos: Touhey, Balback, Proud, Johnson, Lumb, K Morgan, Shaw, Brennan-Jones, Aldridge,, Nicholson-Watton, Gibbons. Littlewood, Field. Subs McSwiney, Gibson, Robinson, Aliyu. Gilmore, B Morgan, Peacock, Tchamambe.

Referee: Kevin Moore (Wakefield).

Attendance: 716.