One player scores 9, couple of 5s in Peter Smith's Leeds Rhinos ratings from 28-0 win v Salford Red Devils

In the week Rhinos brought their former captain back to AMT Headingley, his fellow second-rower James McDonnell ran in four touchdowns in a 28-0 win at Watkins’ previous side – and had another disallowed. It was a terrific effort from the Ireland international as Leeds saw off hugely enthusiastic, but limited, opposition who included just nine players from the side beaten 32-6 in the teams’ previous meeting on the same ground 47 days earlier.

Sam Lisone was another member of the pack to turn in a powerful performance and though Leeds made hard work of it at times, their superiority told in the end, despite them playing for a quarter of the game a man down. Loose-forward Keenan Palasia was sin-binned on the very first tackle, for leading with a shoulder on Chris Atkin. After the - incorrect - yellow card which ended his involvement in the previous match against Warrington Wolves, that was sin-binnings on successive tackles for the loose-forward.

Prop Mikolaj Oledzki followed in the second half for a similar foul and Leeds face a nervous wait for Monday’s match review panel findings. Watkins, though, will be available to step in for the Good Friday visit of Huddersfield Giants, if required.

After their less than ideal start, Rhinos dominated the first half without being about to turn that into points, having to settle for one try and a six-point lead at the break. Rhinos survived the initial 10 minutes they were a man down without any alarms and went ahead on 22 through McDonnell with a try on the last tackle. Jake Connor created it, breaking a tackle and slipping out an excellent offload, though he hit a post with his conversion attempt.

The only other points of the first half came after the hooter. Joe Mellor held down Matt Frawley and Lachie Miller took over kicking duties to take the two, his first goal for Leeds. With yet another half-back pairing - Connor alongside the recalled Frawley - Leeds’ lack of a cutting edge showed and they spent long spells near the Salford line without being able to break through or even put the home team under serious pressure, though Jarrod O’Conor was held up a couple of times.

Salford got close to Leeds’ line once, managing to force a drop out, but were largely on the defensive. The only other incident of note was a successful captain’s challenge by Rhinos after the ball was stolen from Palasia.

Salford had played with great enthusiasm, but all their defensive work took its toll. Having huffed and puffed through the first 40 and not been able to blow the house down, Leeds scored in the first set of the second stanza. Lisone was involved three times, including the move which led to McDonnell touching down. Connor supplied Harry Newman who played a one-two with Ryan Hall before sending the second-rower in.

Six minutes later, Josh Wagstaffe spilled Connor’s high kick and in the resulting set, Connor kicked through and McDonnell read it well to gather for his hat-trick. Rhinos were reduced to 12 again on 56 minutes when Oledzki was shown a yellow card for a shoulder on Matty Foster. On both occasions, the Salford man stayed down, but played on after the incident had been reviewed by video referee Liam Moore.

Miller scored a try – to go with his final tally of four goals – when he touched down an excellent kick from Morgan Gannon and McDonnell scored his fourth off a lovely pass from Connor. Newman had a touchdown disallowed by video official Moore - overruling referee Liam Rush - and McDonnell crossed again in the final seconds, but Newman’s pass was ruled forward. Leeds received four penalties - all in the first half - to Salford’s seven.

Alfie Edgell, Jack Smith and Presley Cassell - who were in Rhinos’ 21-man squad - played for the reserves in a 22-4 win at Bradford Bulls. Try scorers were Cassell, Jacob Stead, Joe Diskin and Harley Thomas, who also kicked three goals. Half-back Fergus McCormack made his return from a long-term hamstring injury.

Salford Red Devils: Atkin, Wagstaffe, Marsters, Vaughan, Glover, Nikorima, Morgan, Ormondroyd, Mellor, Foster, Wright, Shorrocks, Wilson. Subs Davis, Sangare, Pye, G Hill.

Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Hall, Newman, Handley, Lumb, Connor, Frawley, Oledzki, O’Connor, Jenkins, Bentley, McDonnell, Palasia. Subs Lisone, Gannon, Sinfield, Holroyd.

Referee: Liam Rush (Dewsbury/Batley). Attendance: 4,159.