Peter Smith’s verdict: Leeds Rhinos ‘win it for Rob’ in classic Cup finale

For Leeds Rhinos, this season has been very much about one man, their magnificent seven Rob Burrow whose battle with motor neurone disease has made such an impression on the whole sport and beyond.

Gale is Burrow’s natural successor. A Leeds lad – and fan – who came through the academy at a time when Burrow was in his pomp, left to make his name elsewhere and has returned to help bring back past glories.

Burrow was the RFL’s guest of honour for the Cup final, despite being unable to travel to the game and Leeds wore their 2021 home kit – which includes seven bands in his honour – for the first time.

‘Let’s win it for Rob’ was one of Leeds’ motivations before the game and his name was on the jubilant players’ lips afterwards.

Burrow kicked some important drop goals in his time and, watching from home, will have enjoyed Gale’s one-pointer, four minutes from time, which gave Leeds a 17-16 victory and left Salford Red Devils shattered.

It was Gale’s third winning drop goal since he joined Leeds at the end of last season and by far the most important.

Leeds had gone from a strong position at the break, when they led 12-6, to the brink of defeat in the final quarter, trailing 16-12.

But then Richie Myler came up with a smart offload to send in the prolific Ash Handley for the equalising touchdown 15 minutes from time and Gale kept his composure to boot the winner, after having missed with an attempt moments earlier.

Myler succeeded Burrow in the number seven jersey at Leeds, ahead of the 2018 campaign.

He was player of the year that season, but became a scapegoat as Rhinos battled relegation last year.

He lost the jumper to Gale and seemed to be on his way out of the club, but has reinvented himself as a full-back and was a worthy winner of the Lance Todd man of the match award.

Myler, who has signed up for two more seasons after a move to Toronto Wolfpack fell through, was caught out by the bounce from Tui Lolohea’s kick for Salford’s third try, which edged them ahead.

But other than that, he was excellent, always posing a threat with ball in hand, tidying up some testing kicks and handling in the build up to both of Handley’s tries.

The Challenge Cup win is vindication for Gale – who some critics felt was finished after missing the whole of last season and much of 2018 through injury – and Myler.

Also for Richard Agar, whose first game as coach, in May last year, was a Cup defeat at Bradford Bulls.

Agar steadied the ship in 2019, has won a trophy in his second season – which is ahead of schedule – and under him Rhinos have become a team worth watching.

There’s still a lot of work to be done, but a culture change – smiles are back on players’ faces – has already been rewarded.

Agar was actually rather downbeat in his assessment of Leeds’ performance in the final, describing parts of their second -half effort as “terrible”.

Rhinos made errors, couldn’t find a way through a very solid Salford defence and seemed to have blown it when James Greenwood’s try and a third conversion from Krisnan Inu edged Salford four points ahead.

In finals though, it is the result that counts more than the performance. A couple of seasons ago Leeds couldn’t win close games and inevitably threw in the towel when things went against them.

That is not the case now. They showed real grit to get back into the game and then, after presenting Salford with one last chance, toughed it out defensively when their backs were against the wall.

It was a solid defensive effort all round and Leeds took their two first-half tries well, Tom Briscoe, who was outstanding, crossing – and just managing to stay in play – from Konrad Hurrell’s offload; then Handley finishing a neat move involving Gale, Myler and Liam Sutcliffe.

Salford’s first try was a brilliant long-range kick-return, scored by Rhyse Williams, but created by Kallum Watkins and the impressive Niall Evalds.

Pauli Pauli rumbled over to cut the deficit 15 minutes into the second half, before Luke Yates and Joey Lussick sent Greenwood in.

In a terrific final, sadly played behind closed doors at Wembley, Salford played well, particularly defensively and would have deserved the win if they had snatched it.

There was a surprise on the Leeds bench where Alex Sutcliffe was preferred to the unlucky Cameron Smith.

Sutcliffe did a good job, as did – before he was injured – veteran Adam Cuthbertson, who got the nod ahead of Tom Holroyd.

Smith, Holroyd and Jack Walker will have been devastated to miss out, but should remember both Kevin Sinfield and fellow club legend Danny McGuire suffered similar disappointment early in their career.

Brad Dwyer was introduced quite late, but the energy he added was crucial, as was Hurrell’s go-forward in the final quarter.

There was only one set restart, going to Salford in the second half. Referee Liam Moore’s penalty count went six-five in Leeds’ favour.

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