Leeds Rhinos must be considered serious challengers for the Super League title as they continue their rise under Brad Arthur. That’s according to Sky Sports pundit Jon Wilkin, who was in awe of the Rhinos’ dominant performance on Thursday night as Leeds blew away league leaders Hull KR in emphatic fashion.
The Rhinos ran out 28-6 victors at Headingley as tries came from Jake Connor, Presley Cassell, Lachie Miller and Harry Newman, with the latter putting the icing on top of the cake in the second half.
That win was enough to see Leeds move up to third and they are now level on points with second placed Wigan Warriors, who take on Wakefield Trinity on Sunday afternoon. With four more rounds of action, though, Leeds look as though they’ll take some stopping when the play-offs come around.
And, Wilkin believes they now have to be considered live contenders to win the competition at Old Trafford in October.
Jon Wilkin assess Leeds Rhinos title chances
“Incredibly seriously,” Wilkin said on Sky Sports when asked how seriously Leeds should be taken as title challengers. “Not just because of tonight, either, it’s the consistency throughout the course of the season.
“We spoke about their defensive consistency and if they could marry up some of that really lethal offload and quick, fast-paced attack with that defensive resilience, you always felt like they’re a danger. We spoke about how well they’ve performed against the top six sides and it’s another one here.
“They dominated, they dominated the physicality. How many times does Brad Arthur use that word? That first 40 minutes, maybe the first 10 minutes, was just a brutal exemplary performance from his middle forwards who dominated a Hull KR pack that has been so used to having it their own way.
Leeds have now claimed two wins over the Robins this season and they came within just a few minutes of beating them at Headingley back in April, too. That’s undoubtedly enough to give KR, who have been Super League’s outstanding outfit this season, plenty of anxiety about the possibility of meeting Leeds again in a knockout scenario.
However, with Leeds hitting form and pushing for a spot in the top two, it’s not beyond the realms of imagination that the pair could meet at Old Trafford.
“That will leave a scar on Hull KR,” Wilkin added. “I thought they looked tired and I thought they fell in a hole quickly.
“Credit to Leeds for putting them there but I think Hull KR have been just on the edge of looking tired for a while now and Leeds punished them.”
