By Guy Harvey

Chev Walker’s reserve side faced a swift return to action on Thursday evening, taking on Wakefield Trinity just five days after their clash with Warrington Wolves — both fixtures being held at AMT Headingley. Once again, the players contended with sweltering conditions, with temperatures hitting 27°C ahead of kick-off. But with Walker’s side topping the reserve grade table the group had their sights set on the Reserve Grand Final with only five games remaining.

The match began in typical Yorkshire derby fashion—physical, gritty, and tight defensively. Both Leeds Rhinos and Wakefield Trinity showed early nerves, with a series of handling errors halting attacking momentum on both sides. It took 15 minutes before the deadlock was finally broken, and it came through a moment of class from the Rhinos’ halves.

Scrum-half George Brown was the try scorer, but it was stand-off Jack Sinfield who unlocked the defence with a superb dummy that split the Trinity line wide open. With only the fullback to beat, Sinfield timed his pass perfectly to Brown on his inside, who crossed untouched under the posts. Sinfield converted to give Leeds a 6-0 lead.

Despite solid defence from both teams, the error count remained high. It wasn’t until the 30th minute that Leeds extended their lead. Spotting fatigue in the Trinity defence, dummy half Andy Ackers took matters into his own hands, darting over from close range. Sinfield added the extras, and the Rhinos took a 12-0 advantage into the break.

The second half saw Leeds hit another gear, though Wakefield remained competitive and resilient to the final whistle. Leeds struck early, with Sinfield turning try scorer. After back-to-back penalties put the Rhinos in good field position, he took the ball to the line, stepped sharply, and crashed over. He converted his own effort to make it 18-0.

Soon after, Leeds extended their lead again. Quick hands from Brown and Sinfield sent winger Marcus Qareqare diving over in the right corner. Sinfield missed the tough conversion, but moments later, Qareqare bagged his second in near-identical fashion—this time Sinfield nailed the kick to make it 28-0.

With confidence surging, the Rhinos shifted their attack left. Elliot Wallis powered through for another try, though the conversion was missed. Still, Leeds wasn’t finished. Cooper Jenkins was next to score, charging onto a short ball and crashing over from close range. Sinfield missed the extras, but Leeds was comfortably ahead at 36-0.

Even with just minutes remaining, Leeds was relentless. A half-break from Jenkins, followed by a slick offload to George Smith before the scrum half flicked the ball on to put Oliver Smart away to score under the posts. Sinfield converted to take the score to 42-0.

The final say came through Jacob Hardy, after Sinfield intercepted a loose pass and raced 40 metres before being caught. Joe Diskin then made a half break but kept the play alive with a clever offload to Hardy, who finished the move with another. Sinfield’s conversion rounded out a comprehensive 48-0 win.

While the scoreline suggests a blowout, it didn’t reflect the full story—Wakefield showed plenty of heart and effort but were ultimately outclassed by a clinical and ruthless Rhinos side.

TEAMS

Leeds Rhinos Reserves

1. Harley Thomas


2. Marcus Qareqare


3. Jacob Hardy


4. Ethan Clark-Wood


5. Elliot Wallis


6. Jack Sinfield


7. George Brown


8. Joseph Butterfield


9. Andrew Ackers


10. Cooper Jenkins


11. Ben Littlewood


12. Presley Cassell


13. Jacob Stead


14. Joseph Diskin


15. Zak Lloyd


16. Oliver Smart


17. Dacx Jones-Buchanan


18. Noah Whittingham

Wakefield Trinity Reserves

1. Robbie Brook


2. Neil Tchamambe


3. Jayden Myers


4. Dom Sinfield


5. James Evans


6. Charlie Abraham


7. Rowan Stephenson


8. Ellis Lingard


9. Class Walker-Smith


10. Noah High


11. Ewan Molyneux


12. Cain Staveley-Carr


13. Ashton Winks


14. Noah Kershaw


15. Zack Clegg


16. Phoenix Tooala


17. Alfie Briggs


18. Jack Easton