Leeds Rhinos 18 Leigh Leopards 10
In a touching evening filled with emotion, a crowd of 17,535 fans gathered at AMT Headingley to honor the memory of Rob Burrow CBE. Leeds Rhinos stepped up and defeated Leigh Leopards 18-10 in a show of resilience and determination.
Brodie Croft scored two tries in the first half, giving his team the lead at halftime. The second half had fewer points, but Matt Frawley's try secured the victory for the home team. Despite late tries by Edwin Ipape and Matt Moylan, the home team held on for the win.
After Rohan Smith left the team earlier this week, assistant coaches Chev Walker and Scott Grix took over coaching duties for a young Rhinos team. Players Harry Newman, Ash Handley, Sam Lisone, and Tom Holroyd were all missing from the lineup. Loan player Sam Eseh made his club debut as a substitute, while Ben Littlewood was on the matchday roster but didn't play. Without Newman and Handley, young players Ned McCormack and Alfie Edgell played alongside Rhyse Martin on the field. Justin Sangare returned to the starting lineup in place of Holroyd.
Prior to the start of the game, the entire stadium came together to honor Burrow following his passing two weeks ago. Huge flags on the field, fireworks, Operaman's performance of Nessun Dorma, and 'RB7' signs held up in the AMT Stand welcomed both teams and a procession of former teammates and staff who had worked with Burrow during his time at the club.
The stadium was filled with excitement as the game began with both teams playing cautiously in the first few sets. After 10 minutes, Croft scored the first goal of the match. The Rhinos took advantage of an offside penalty to advance towards the Leigh line, with Sangare and Smith leading the charge. Croft then skillfully maneuvered past Leopards defenders to score a fantastic solo try. The try was confirmed by the video referee and the green light was given.
Leigh retaliated with a few gentle strikes, causing the ball to go out of bounds. Ricky Leutele's pass missed Charnley and ended up in the front row of the North Stand, or the Leopards player was pushed out of bounds.
The Rhinos capitalized on their strong defense when Tom Amone accidentally dropped the ball, allowing Lachie Miller to pass to Croft. Croft showcased impressive speed as he ran the entire length of the field to score a spectacular try for the Rhinos. Despite Martin’s attempt to kick from the sideline, the score remained 10-0.
Frankie Halton almost helped Leigh score, but the video referee ruled that he was held up. With time running out, a late hit on Cameron Smith led to Martin choosing to kick for goal. The PNG international successfully kicked the ball between the posts, bringing the score to 12-0 at halftime.
In the beginning of the second half, Leigh believed they had scored a goal five minutes in. Leutele seemed to outsmart Paul Momirovski and Lachie Miller, but the referee correctly ruled it a no goal. The Leopards kept up the pressure as Edgell and McCormack had to handle Moylan's last minute kick, but Leigh was unable to capitalize on their opportunity.
At the far end of the field, Leeds successfully made a cross on their first attempt. Miller cleverly outmaneuvered the Leigh defense to pass to Edgell, who was able to break through the line. With a teammate close by, Edgell remained calm and passed the ball perfectly to Matt Frawley, who scored his third try of the season.
The end of the match had Leeds supporters feeling very nervous as Leigh started to come back in the last 20 minutes. A mistake by Martin led to Leigh scoring their first try, with Moylan successfully getting the ball down after a well-planned scrum play.
Dwyer made a quick run from the dummy half position, similar to what he used to do when playing for the Rhinos. However, it was his teammate Edwin Ipape, who plays as a hooker, that really made a difference in the game. With only 13 minutes left, Ipape received the ball as the first receiver and powered his way through the opposition to score under the posts, bringing the score to just an eight point difference.
Kai O’Donnell and Zak Hardaker had opportunities to score for Adrian Lam’s team, but the Rhinos' strong defense and collaboration helped them maintain their lead until the end of the game. Chev Walker and Scott Grix played crucial roles in guiding the team to a 18-10 victory.
The blog section features players like Lachie Miller, David Fusitu’a, Paul Momirovski, Ned McCormack, Alfie Edgell, Brodie Croft, Matt Frawley, Mikolaj Oledzki, Jarrod O’Connor, Justin Sangare, James McDonnell, Rhyse Martin, and Cameron Smith.
Reserves: Corey Johnson number 26, Mickael Goudemand number 18, Ben Littlewood number 32 (did not play), Sam Eseh number 36 (18th Man - Tom Nicholson-Watton number 30)
Attempts: Croft attempted to score at minute 11 and 29, while Frawley tried at minute 50.
6. Matt Moylan, 34. Umyla Hanley, 3. Zak Hardaker, 4. Ricky Leutele, 5. Josh Charnley, 21. Ben McNamara, 7. Lachlan Lam, 8. Tom Amone, 15. Matt Davis, 17. Owen Trout, 11. Kai O’Donnell, 16. Frankie Halton, 12. Jack Hughes 6. The list of players for the team includes Matt Moylan, Umyla Hanley, Zak Hardaker, Ricky Leutele, Josh Charnley, Ben McNamara, Lachlan Lam, Tom Amone, Matt Davis, Owen Trout, Kai O'Donnell, Frankie Halton, and Jack Hughes.
Substitutes: Number 14 is Dan Norman, number 9 is Edwin Ipape, number 33 is Brad Dwyer, and number 35 is Aaron Pene. The 18th man is number 34, Darnell McIntosh.
Attempts: Moylan (fifty-eight), Ipape (sixty-eight)
