Adam Cuthbertson capped a man of the match performance with two tries as the Rhinos were forced to work hard to defeat Leigh Centurions at Headingley Carnegie.

Leigh started the game strongly and were forcing the Rhinos to attack from deep inside their own half on a number of sets. Having weathered that early storm the Rhinos then gained a foothold and were able to lift the tempo of the game, resulting in a string of penalties against the visitors as they looked to slow down the Rhinos ruck speed. Eventually the pressure counted and Cory Paterson was caught out as he tried to slow Matt Parcell down at the play the ball only to then fail to get back and stop Adam Cuthbertson as he came charging on to the ball from close range. Liam Sutcliffe failed to add the conversion.

Joel Moon had a great chance soon after but spilled Sutcliffe’s pass near the line in the wet and slippery conditions. However, it was not long before the Rhinos increased their lead as Danny McGuire and Kallum Watkins worked a move to create space for Tom Briscoe to slide in at the corner. Sutcliffe missed from wide out but his side now led 8-0 after sixteen minutes.

The Rhinos were in a strong position with Leigh having to work hard to get out of their own end but the visitors got a break when Drinkwater kicked a 40:20. The Centurions made the most of the visit as Matty Dawson stayed wide on his touchline and took the pass to dive in at the corner. Drinkwater missed the conversion but his side were back in the game.

The conditions played a major part in the next phase of the game as both teams were guilty of spilling too much ball in the wet. Eventually it was Leeds who crossed for the next two when Rob Burrow’s cross field kick was plucked out of the air by Joel Moon jumping highest through a pack of players before he touched down. Sutcliffe added the conversion to give his side a ten point lead.

Leigh however showed their trademark doggedness and got a score back just before half time when Dawson took advantage as the Rhinos allowed a kick to bounce near their line and he spun out of the tackle to get the ball down. Drinkwater added the conversion to make it 14-10 at the interval.

The visitors were reduced to 12 men shortly after half time when Antoni Maria was sin binned for a late challenge on Danny McGuire. Sutcliffe kicked the penalty to stretch his side’s lead to 16-10.

Just before the hour mark, the Rhinos crossed for their fourth try as Cuthbertson timed his run to perfection to pick up McGuire’s grubber kick and touch down. Sutcliffe added the conversion to make it 22-10.

Sutcliffe missed two further opportunities to increase the lead with penalties but Leeds kept the Centurions at bay until the final second of the game when Cory Paterson crossed in the corner.