Leeds Rhinos have beaten Warrington Wolves 26-22 in a Super League thriller at Headingley, on this the 30th birthday of the competition.
Brad Arthur’s side arguably went into the game as underdogs, given their form over the past fortnight, but back on home soil they were able to pull out an almighty second half performance to overcome a valiant Warrington side.
There is an injury concern for the Wolves, who lost a key forward towards the end of the game, though youngster Ewan Irwin’s performance will no doubt impress boss Sam Burgess.
Here are the major talking points from the game, including a notable absentee from Leeds’ starting line-up.
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Leeds Rhinos v Warrington Wolves talking points
Rhinos bounce back:
After two defeats in both league and cup, Leeds returned to home soil and came away with a hard-fought win over the unbeaten Wolves.
Three tries from Maika Sivo, as well as scores for Jack Bird and Brodie Croft saw them through, as Brad Arthur’s side continue to topple those teams around them in the top four race.
Parts of the performance will have left the boss frustrated, particularly in the first half, but their second-half effort saw them emerge as winners on Super League’s 30th birthday.
Wire stumbling block:
Warrington will see that game as a missed opportunity for victory, and came within just four points of extending their winning run.
They were the better side in the opening forty, but a try from Sivo on the stroke of half time saw the game turn, and from that point they couldn’t quite control the game as they had done in the first.
The Wolves will still be huge favourites for the top four with the way they are playing, but if they are to claim that top two spot come September, it is performances like that that they should be turning into points.
Harry Newman call:
Eyebrows were raised 90 minutes before kick-off when Harry Newman’s name was excluded from the Leeds team sheet. At the time of writing, his absence remains unexplained, however it seems there is no injury to the Perth Bears-bound man, and it was his form that saw him drop out of the side.
Jack Bird played in the centres in his place and scored on his home debut, but the former Wests Tigers man had a shaky start as he made a couple of unforced errors. Chris Hankinson was named on the bench, but was an unused substitute for the Rhinos.
Injury concern:
Sam Burgess will be sweating over the fitness of Kelepi Tanginoa, who left the field in the final five minutes with what looked to be an ankle injury.
Fresh off his four-try haul last week, he kept his place in the starting side and again performed well, however his afternoon was cut short as he went straight down the tunnel to be assessed.
Impressive Irwin:
Sam Burgess put a lot of faith in 18-year-old half-back Ewan Irwin this afternoon, and he repaid that faith with an excellent display. Scoring the opening points of the game via a penalty goal, the youngster coolly slotted a 40/20 on 25 minutes to keep the game in Warrington’s favour. Wire managed to score in the resultant set, as Josh Smith crossed on the right edge as they spread the ball wide.
He didn’t have as much impact in the second forty, as his experience showed particularly with Warrington chasing the game in the final 15 minutes. Regardless, Irwin can hold his head up high after his efforts in defeat.
Sivo scores three:
After a week without finding the try line against Hull FC, Maika Sivo continued his brilliant try-scoring form with a hat-trick, as he crossed for Leeds’ first three tries of the game.
Credit has to go to Ash Handley in particular, who bagged all three assists and provided some brilliant final passes to make the Fijian’s efforts that much easier. Sivo has now scored 14 tries in his opening six Leeds matches.
