Leeds Rhinos' winning run in the Betfred Super League came to an end in round 15 as they suffered an 18-4 defeat at the hands of St Helens.

A largely close affair saw both sides battle hard over the eighty minutes, but errors ultimately proved to be the undoing of the Rhinos, whose points came through young winger Riley Lumb as he continued a stellar campaign.

Leeds coach Brad Arthur named an unchanged side for the trip to the Totally Wicked Stadium – only the second time he has been able to do so in 2025. It was a particularly special occasion for co-captain Cameron Smith, who marked his 150th Super League appearance. He was named on the bench to face a Saints side that had already beaten Leeds at home in the Challenge Cup back in March.

The home side made their intentions clear early, pushing Leeds back and taking their chances when they arose. Moses Mbye trapped Lachie Miller in the in-goal area, giving Leeds fans their first glimpse of the Red Vee's attacking intent. A knock-on by the full back, followed by a high tackle from Harry Newman, handed Kyle Feldt the chance to kick a penalty goal, putting Paul Wellens’ side 2-0 ahead inside the first ten minutes.

Leeds didn’t retreat after going behind; if anything, they grew into the contest. A half-break from Harry Newman saw the centre attempt an offload that Morgan Knowles couldn’t resist putting a hand on. From the resulting pressure, a short pass from Kallum Watkins found Keenan Palasia in a one-on-one with Jonny Lomax, but the Samoan international couldn’t hold onto the ball close to the line.

Errors continued to prove costly, and Saints capitalised again. A knock-on from Ryan Hall gifted them field position, and a penalty straight from the scrum saw Feldt slot his second goal to make it 4-0.

A frantic period followed, with Leeds creating their best chances of the half. A scramble near the Saints’ line nearly saw Morgan Gannon crash over, only for the back-rower to be denied by a dislodging tackle from Sailor. Hall then intercepted a pass and set off on a breakaway, but Harry Robertson tracked back well to prevent the veteran winger from reaching the line.

The drama extended to the final whistle. Mbye and Sailor's chip and chase effort needed strong last-ditch defence from Miller who stepped up to prevent the scoring opportunity, but a knock-on from Gannon gave Saints one final opportunity that Cross made count.

After one of their toughest first halves of the campaign, Leeds came out firing in the second period, and it was Riley Lumb who continued his impressive scoring streak in 2025. 

Brodie Croft tested the Saints' defence with a clever grubber kick, forcing Owen Dagnall to carry it behind for a goal-line drop-out. Sam Lisone then bulldozed the Rhinos into an attacking position, before a burst of pace from Lachie Miller opened up space. The fullback offloaded wide to Ash Handley, who delivered the final pass for Lumb to score in the corner - his 11th try of the season. Jake Connor struck the upright with the conversion but the Rhinos were back in the contest.

With momentum shifting, Leeds began to assert pressure. Buoyed by their travelling support, Jarrod O’Connor came close with a dart from dummy half. The home side responded by taking to the air through Feldt, but Lumb was equal to the challenge and defused the kick superbly.

The match entered a tense phase on the hour mark as both sides exchanged blows and the momentum swung. Leeds looked to keep the play alive, but a speculative kick from Lumb was fielded by Dagnall, who broke downfield. However, just as Lomax looked to cross for a try, the referee pulled play back for a forward pass. They didn’t have to wait long though as on 62 minutes, Matty Lees forced a knock-on from James McDonnell, and Saints capitalised straight from the resulting scrum as Lomax linked up with Sailor to send Dagnall over for his first Super League try, extending the lead to 14-4.

Leeds kept battling to claw their way back in. A short ball from Connor to Bentley looked promising, but it was ruled forward by referee Jack Smith. Moments later, O’Connor rushed up to force a knock-on from Alex Walmsley, giving Leeds one final opportunity, however in the dying seconds, Newman was unable to take a sharp pass from McDonnell to end the Rhinos’ hopes of continuing their winning run. 

Despite Leeds' late efforts, Sailor managed to weave his way through the Rhinos' defence to score and confirm an 18-4 win for St Helens.

Teams

Saints
6. Tristan Sailor, 2. Kyle Feldt, 26. Harry Robertson, 36. Deon Cross, 30. Owen Dagnall, 7. Jonny Lomax, 14. Moses Mbye, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. Daryl Clark, 10. Matty Lees, 18. Jake Wingfield, 16. Matt Whitley, 13. Morgan Knowles

Subs: 20. George Delaney, 21. Noah Stephens, 17. Agnatius Paasi, 23. Jake Burns (18th Man - 5. Jon Bennison)

Tries: Cross (39), Dagnall (62), Sailor (79)
Goals: Feldt 3/5

Rhinos
1. Lachie Miller, 23. Riley Lumb, 4. Ash Handley (CC), 3. Harry Newman, 5. Ryan Hall, 18. Jake Connor, 6. Brodie Croft, 8. Mikolaj Oledzki, 14. Jarrod O’Connor, 10. Keenan Palasia, 12. James McDonnell, 16. Morgan Gannon, 28. Kallum Watkins

Subs: 19. Tom Holroyd, 15. Sam Lisone, 11. James Bentley, 13. Cameron Smith (CC) (18th Man – 17. Cooper Jenkins)
Tries: Lumb (46)
Goals: Connor 0/1