By Joshua Mee

Tries from Noah Sheriffe, Henry Brough, and Joe Gill saw Leeds Rhinos Scholars see off Bradford Bulls Scholars 18-10 at the Arthur Miller Stadium. 

Bradford Bulls got the first points on the board when the visiting Hooker Dylan O’Brien used some fast feet to step past the Rhinos defence after 12-minutes and open the scoring. Elliott Dennison successfully converted the resulting kick, bringing the score to six-nil to the Bulls.

Following the early score, Rhinos then dominated the rest of the first half, having a plethora of opportunities to score themselves. They finally were rewarded for their continuous pressure by forcing Bradford into giving away multiple penalties.

Rhinos responded eight minutes later following a penalty deep inside Bulls territory. Noah Sheriffe picked the ball up in the fifth phase of a Rhinos attack, spun a recovering Bulls defender and scored his try 10-yards inside from the left touch line of the pitch. This left a challenging kick which Sheriffe himself then made look easy to bring the home side level.

The continued lack of discipline from the Bulls led to Harrison Hogg being sent into the sin bin after 28 minutes, with the Rhinos nearly making the most of their man advantage almost immediately. Oscar Brown, however, could not hold onto the ball despite being free on an overlap, spilling the ball forward and leaving the scoreline at 6-6 at half-time.

It only took the young Rhinos four minutes to take the lead after the restart, with Henry Brough receiving the ball on the right wing. Although he had two men supporting his move on the outside he went alone, beating the first defender for pace and then selling the second with a perfect dummy before going over in the right corner to put the Rhinos into the lead. The scorer then converted his own try thanks to some assistance from the left upright to make the score 12-6.

Bradford, just before the hour mark, then landed a blow of their own thanks to a neat finish by Olly Farrar on the left wing following a scrum that gave the Bulls a new set well inside Rhino’s territory. The conversion was missed and so the scoreline moved to 12-10 with the Rhinos still leading.

The game was then all but won by the Rhinos thanks to a fantastic try from Joe Gill after 64 minutes. Bradford attempted a cross-field kick in their final phase but could not claim the ball in the air. Gill caught the rebounding ball cleanly and set off at speed from his own try line. He ran the full length of the pitch before sliding in under the opposite posts to leave an easy conversion to make the score 18-10.

The game then died down following this try, with neither side having any more clear-cut chances. The match ended 18-10 and Leeds Rhinos Scholars came out deserved winners in a game marred only by the home sides handling errors, which did not let them score even more than they did. 

Leeds Rhinos Scholars 18(6)

Try: Sheriffe 21’, Brough 44’, Gill 64’ Conversion: Sheriffe 21’, Brough 44’, 64’

Bradford Bulls Scholars 10(6)

Try: O’Brien 12’, Farrar 59’ Conversion: Dennison 12’

Sin Bin: Hogg 28’, O’Brien 68’

Leeds Rhinos

1 Eli Kirrane-Perrin

2 Alfie Quinn

3 Noah Sheriffe

4 Joe Gill

5 Dexter Cooper

6 Henry Brough

7 Cole Charlsworth-March

8 Stan Marriot

9 Jordan Barker-Day

10 Ben Smith

11 Dillion Eshun

12 Oscar Brown

13 Oliver Brown

14 Charlie Hagan

15 Archie Butler

16 Dylan Baira

17 Laike Smith

18 Alex Newell

19 Toby Wieland

20 Wade Smith

Bradford Bulls

1 Lucas Murray

2 Ben Kavanagh

3 Harrison Hogg

4 Oscar Thomas

5 Olly Farrar

6 Elliot Dennison

7 Charlie Turpin

8 Hayden Olivieri

9 Dylan O’Brien

10 Mason Branigan

11 Alfie Foyle

12 Elliot Magson

13 Warren Cowen

14 Lennon Morris

15 Dexter Hood

16 Louis Hall

17 Euan Fletcher

18 Danielius Daugela

19 Noah Callendar

20 Max Flanagan