St Helens 24 Leeds Rhinos 25: Blake Austin's late drop goal stuns Super League champs

Rhinos hit back from 24-12 down five minutes into the second half to level with 10 left and, after two failed attempts by the visitors, Blake Austin kicked the winning drop goal 14 seconds from time.

Leeds certainly rode their luck. Some decisions went their way and Saints had two players sin-binned, plus ex-Leeds man Konrad Hurrell sent off in the closing moments.

But it was a huge win, a massive improvement on the previous two performances this season and will give coach Rohan Smith’s side a huge boost to their confidence.

Rhinos led early on and were only six points adrift at the break, the deficit coming from a couple of defensive lapses and a basic error with the ball near their own line, combined with an inability to take more of their chances at the other end

Leeds scored two tries, but Saints turned the ball over in their half a number of times - as well as conceding back-to-back penalties in the final moments - and Rhinos should have made greater use of those opportunities.

When Saints went 12 points up after 45 minutes it looked like game over and had Tommy Makinson not missed with a simple penalty soon afterwards, it probably would have been, but Leeds’ stayed calm, refused to give in and were clinical in the final quarter.

One blot was an injury to hooker Kruise Leeming, who was among the substitutes as Jarrodf O’Connor made his first start of the season.

Leeming came on after 50 minutes, immediately suffered damage to his left foot and was back on the sideline after just four minutes.

Aidan Sezer was a key man for Leeds. He went off for a head injury assessment after just eight minutes in an incident which left both him and Sione Mata’utia needing treatment.

The Saints man had his head bandaged and was then immediately sin-binned for taking Sezer out off the ball.

Leeds exploited the extra man in superb fashion almost immediately. Nene Macdonald made a terrific break from deep inside Rhinos’ half, Richie Myler was in support and he did well to hand on to Ash Handley who finished in style.

Leeds went close in the next set, but then a Hurrell break put them on the back foot, Handley was penalised on the last for diving on to the ball from an offside position at marker and Joey Lussick nipped in from acting-half to get the hosts on the board.

The first of Makinson’s four conversions levelled the scores moments before Mata’utia rejoined the action. Another penalty on the last soon after led to Saints’ second try, this time Lewis Dodd exploiting Leeds’ slowness off the line.

Sezer’s return paid dividends on 24 minutes; Austin hoisted a kick on the last, Sezer hacked it on and Rhyse Martin followed through to gather the ball and roll over the line through Hurrell’s tackle.

Rhinos had done really well to get level, but then gifted the lead straight back to Saints in farcical style. Austin’s pass close to the line went straight through Derrell Olpherts’ grasp, he slipped trying to recover and Dodd pounced to score his second. Austin shouldn’t have passed, Olpherts should have caught it.

The conversion gave Saints a six-point interval lead, Mark Percival got the ball down from Jack Welsby’s kick after 45 minutes and Makinson’s fourth conversion made it 24-12.

However, the missed penalty kept Rhinos in it and they got back within six, against 12 men, on the hour. Curtis Sironen was sin-binned for a late tackle on Myler; a high shot on Justin Sangare sparked a skirmish and following that Sam Walters’ nice offload was finished by Cameron Smith for the visitors’ third try.

Makinson had a touchdown disallowed by video official Jack Smith - overruling referee Chris Kendall - after Sangare spilled Myler’s pass from the restart.

Sironen had been back a matter of seconds when Martin scored his second try of the game with a powerful finish after Leeds kept the ball alive from right to left and his fourth conversion squared things.

Saints thought they should have had a penalty for an alleged shoulder charge by Walters with four left, but it went the other way and two minutes from time Hurrell was sent-off for a late, high tackle on Myler.

Austin had a drop goal charged down, then Saints did similar to a Sezer effort, but Leeds got the ball back and Austin sealed a memorable win.

James Bentley, having been named in the initial 21 for the first time this year, was held back another week, but is likely to feature against Wakefield Trinity next Friday.

James McDonnell came in for his debut, as a starting second-rower and it was Walters’ first competitive appearance of 2023.

He was among the substitutes, replacing Sam Lisone. Illness in the week restricted the overseas prop’s ability to train, though he was at the game.

St Helens: Welsby, Makinson, Hurrell, Percival, Bennison, Lomax, Dodd, Walmsley, Lussick, Lees, Mata'utia, Sironen, Knowles. Subs McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Bell, Winfield, Royle.

Leeds Rhinos: Myler, Fusitu'a, Macdonald, Handley, Olpherts, Austin, Sezer, Holroyd, O'Connor, Tetevano, McDonnell, Martin, Smith. Subs Donaldson, Walters, Leeming, Sangare.

Referee: Chris Kendall (Huddersfield).

Attendance: 15,130.