Leeds Rhinos Women 28 Wigan Warriors Women 8

By Sam Brocksom

Two tries from Bethan Dainton and Shona Hoyle helped Leeds Rhinos Women to a 28-8 victory over Wigan Warriors at AMT Headingley.

Dainton added the Rhinos only tries in the first half, with Keara Bennett adding one of the two conversions.

Ebony Stead marked her AMT Headingley debut with a try on the left before Bella Sykes added her second in as many matches.

Shona Hoyle made her return to the side felt with a try double in the final ten minutes of the match.

Leeds provisionally sit at the top of the WSL table, however St Helens are still to play this weekend.

In her final game as coach before maternity leave, Lois Forsell made two changes to the side that won convincingly at Featherstone last time out. England international duo Shona Hoyle and Amy Hardcastle returned to the squad in place of Kaiya Glynn and two-try debutant Ruby Walker. Ebony Stead, another debutant last week, retained her place on the wing.

The Rhinos had the first chance of the game. Evie Cousins was all but certain to score if not for a try-saving effort from Mary Coleman that brought her down inches from the line.

Leeds then managed to create something from nothing as a three-minute try double from Bethan Dainton launched the Rhinos into a 10-0 lead. First, the Welsh captain broke the line on halfway before racing away to score. On the following set, she broke the line again, this time on her own 30 metre line scoring an even better try to her first. Keara Bennett added the conversion for the first try but was wide with the second.

It didn’t take long for the visitors to reduce the deficit and score their first points of the match. WSL top scorer Anna Davies added to her 17 this season as the Warriors broke down the right edge. Isabel Rowe couldn’t add the conversion from out wide so the scores stayed 10-4 to Leeds, and would stay that way until the half time break.

Wigan were first to break the second half deadlock, reducing the Leeds lead to two points as Georgia Wilson found her way over the line. The Rhinos gave away a penalty on their own line, and Dennis Betts’ side capitalised as they shifted the ball to the right centre. Rowe couldn’t find the conversion leaving the scores at 10-8.

Leeds took no time to counter the Wigan try. On her AMT Headingley debut, Ebony Stead crossed for her third try in two matches as the ball was shifted left for the winger to sprint down the touchline to score. Bennett was successful with the conversion giving Leeds a 16-8 lead with half an hour to play.

Bella Sykes then extended the Rhinos lead as she scampered over from dummy half 10 minutes later. With Bennett off the field, Liv Whitehead took over kicking duties but couldn’t add the extra two.

Leeds weren’t done yet, as the returning Shona Hoyle wanted a piece of the scoring action, crossing not once, but twice in the final 10 minutes. On both occasions, the England international was too strong for the Wigan defence, carrying defenders over the line to get the ball down. Bennett couldn’t add either conversion meaning the full time score was 28-8, putting Leeds back to the top of the WSL table on points difference.

Leeds: Cousins, Stead, Robinson, Hardcastle, Whitehead, Butcher, Casey, Northrop, Bennett, Sykes, Murray, Greening, Dainton. Subs: Hoyle, Field, Donnelly, Short.

Tries: Dainton x2, Hoyle x2, Stead, Sykes

Conversions: Bennett 2/3, Whitehead 0/3