Leeds Rhinos U16s 16 St Helens U16s 14

By Sam Brocksom

Leeds Rhinos Scholarship side saw off a second-half comeback as they emerged 16-14 victors in their final match of the season against St Helens at AMT Headingley.

The Rhinos scored all their points in the first half, and an excellent defensive showing kept the Saints out enough to see out the win.

The result means that Mark Butterill’s side lost just once in their eight league matches, in what is another strong season for the Rhinos’ development squads.

Both sides had opportunities to score in the opening ten minutes. The wet conditions were an enemy to both sides, with each team dropping the ball close to the line, squandering any chance of points.

Leeds managed to open the scoring on the 10-minute mark. Halfback Jack Mears took the ball on the left, before quick passes to Sonny Hetherigton and Jack Smith before an inside pass back to Hetherington saw him slide over in the rain. Seth Marchant was successful with his first attempt at goal.

The Rhinos then added two more tries to their tally, through Sam Oldroyd and Brennan Townend. First, Marchant decided to go down the blind side and passed the ball through the hands. The ball found Oldroyd with little space, but the winger did brilliantly to dive over acrobatically in the corner.

Then, on 22 minutes, Jack Mears’ kick was deflected off the post padding, causing confusion. Townend was first to react to the bouncing ball and touched down under the posts. Marchant added the latter of the two conversions, giving Leeds a 16-0 lead with just over a quarter of the game gone.

Saints eventually managed to find their way over the line on half an hour. Centre Jack Hill received a crash ball from second rower Matthew Sinclair, and he was too strong and too close to be stopped. The conversion was missed.

There were no more points in the first half, as errors started to creep into both sides’ game. The rain was on and off throughout, and the slippery conditions remained an issue. At the break, the Rhinos led 16-4.

The second half didn’t go the way of the Rhinos, with their defence been heavily tested. One of Leeds’ few chances came minutes into the second stanza, when Hetherington looked to return the favour to Smith from the first half, however his pass went over the sidelines.

Saints managed to pull their first try back through Cavell Kibula. A kick into the in-goal bounced perfectly for the winger to pounce on and he managed to make his way under the posts before scoring. The kick was converted, and Leeds’ lead was reduced to six.

The visitors then added another, making for an intense finish, when Mason Stott dived over with 15 minutes left on the clock. Saints forced an error from Leeds as they tried to attack, and after picking up the loose ball raced 70m before being tackled.

They bided their time well, and saw out the set before spreading the ball to the young centre who scored in the right corner. The conversion was missed, meaning Leeds were still in front, albeit by two points.

The Rhinos defence was tested multiple times before the end of the game, and it took some huge efforts to keep the Red Vee out. Head coach Mark Butterill will be pleased with his side’s defensive performance, as Leeds managed to keep Saints out for the rest of the game and emerge as 16-14 winners in their final game of the season.

Rhinos: Liam Watson, Sam Oldroyd, Noah Sherrife, Sonny Hertherington, Jack Smith, Jack Mears, Seth Marchant, Robin Smith, Noah Lunn, Connor Lawrie, Dan Shaw, Alfie Steel, Brennan Townend.

Subs: Henry Brough, Ben Smith, Dillon Eshun, Ryan Hosier, Ellis Johnson, Alex Newell, Will Mathers

Tries: Hetherington, Oldroyd, Townend

Goals: Marchant 2/3

Saints: Finley Haigh, Kyran Greenall, Jack Hill, Mason Stott, Cavell Kibula, Leon Davies, Ethan Woodward, Toby Bottell, James Patterson, Liam Nixon, Tyler Mills, Matthew Sinclair, Charlie Jeffery-Stott.

Subs: Spencer Lowe, Rhys Wood, Rueben Hirst, Jayden Garrathy, Alfie Lyon, Lucas Orgill, Mal Arrowsmith.