By Guy Harvey

Mark Butterill’s scholarship side made the short trip to Odsal to face old foes Bradford Bulls, looking to build on their strong performance against Hull FC last time out. A hat-trick from Jack Mears, along with braces from Sonny Hetherington and Wade Smith, helped Leeds secure a big win. However, despite the dominant scoreline, the performance wasn’t as polished as they would have hoped. 

Both sides had a shaky start, with early handling errors disrupting possession. However, it was Leeds who struck first, thanks to a brilliant cut-out pass that found Jacob Tooala hitting a great line. A weaving run from the centre saw him cross under the posts, before adding the extras himself to give Leeds a 6-0 lead. Leeds quickly extended their lead as stand-off Jack Mears took on the line himself on the left edge, powering over to score. Tooala added the extras, making it 12 points in as many minutes for Leeds. 

Leeds quickly found their rhythm and soon added more points. Jack Mears delivered a pinpoint pass to Sonny Hetherington, cutting out the Bradford defenders and leaving the centre with a simple stroll to the line. Tooala was flawless from the tee once again, extending Leeds’ led to 18-0. Leeds refused to take their foot off the gas for the rest of the half, and just two minutes later, Sonny Hetherington grabbed his second try of the night. It was a carbon copy of his first, as Jack Mears once again delivered a perfect pass to send him over on the left edge leaving the Bradford defence clutching at straws. Tooala added the extras, pushing Leeds further ahead. 

Bradford enjoyed a few sets in possession, but Leeds’ dominance shone through once again as they forced a knock-on just ten metres from the Bradford try-line. The Rhinos took full advantage from the resulting scrum, executing a well-rehearsed move to send winger Wade Smith racing over in the corner for the try. This time, however, the conversion was uncharacteristically off target from Tooala. 

With minutes left in the half, Leeds wasn’t done yet. Camped deep in Bradford’s territory, they looked to strike on the left edge again. This time, Jack Mears turned from provider to scorer, faking the pass before showing great strength to crash over for another try. Tooala added the extras, extending Leeds’ led to 34-0. But the Rhinos still had one more score in them before the break. Scrum-half Jack Smith switched things up, attacking the right edge with intent. A pinpoint cut-out pass found centre Jacob Tooala, creating a two-on-one with only the fullback to beat. Tooala timed his pass perfectly to send winger Wade Smith racing through for his second of the night. Tooala slotted the conversion, giving Leeds a commanding 40-0 lead at halftime. 

Leeds wasted no time in the second half, echoing the dominant style from the end of the first. Stand-off Jack Mears completed his hat-trick when he took a pass from the scrum, charged straight for the try line, and executed a clever dummy and a strong hand off to touch down for the four-pointer.  

The Rhinos began to show some frailties, conceding a string of penalties. After being penalised for offside near halfway, Bradford took full advantage. To their credit, they continued fighting for points, and with Leeds’ markers caught napping, dummy-half Dylan O’Brien sniped from close range to get his side on the board, Ellis Singer adding the extras. Leeds hit back just minutes later as fullback Sam Oldroyd sliced through the Bulls’ defence to score. Tooala added the extras, but it would prove to be the Rhinos’ final points of the night. 

Leeds knocking on straight from kick off allowed for Bradford to get their tails back up and moments later allowed the Bulls to score again when second row forward Charlie Przybyl wasn’t going to be stopped crashing through to score, again Singer successful with the conversion.  

The final twenty minutes saw an increase in intensity, but the game lost its structure, turning into a scrappy affair. Amid the chaos, Bradford managed to add to their tally. A well-placed chip over the top on the last tackle caused panic in the Rhinos’ defence, allowing Nathan Ewan to collect the loose ball and scramble over for the try. With Singer adding the extras, Bradford moved to 18 points, but Leeds’ dominant 52 remained unchanged. That’s how it finished on the night at Odsal.

Bradford Bulls Scholarship
1. Ellis Singer
2. James Hirst
3. 4-0 Isaac Graham
4. TDylan Keenan
5. Josh Tyson
6. Ivan Ward
7. Sam Brearley
8. Joseph Gill
9. Jack Ingham 
10. Eli Fox
11. Will Barber
12. Charlie Przybyl
13. Riley Gelder
14. Dylan O’Brien
15. Jake Tomlinson
16. Nathan Ewen
17. Elliot Manson
18. Warren Cowan
19. Jesse Boothroyd
20. Euan Fletcher 

Leeds Rhinos Scholarship
1. Sam Oldroyd
2. Bailey Hardy
3. Jacob Tooala
4. Sonny Hetherington
5. Wade Smith
6. Jack Mears
7. Jack Smith
8. Robin Smith
9. Noah Lunn
10. Will Mathers
11. Daniel Shaw
12. Alfie Steel
13. Brennan Townend
14. Harry Thompson
15. Connor Lawrie
16. Charlie Hagan
17. Archie Butler
18. Oliver Vincent
19. Ryan Hosier
20. Alex Newell