2015

Fans that have supported the club over the golden decade would find it hard to wrap 2015 up in just one word. Three trophies for three retiring legends was at the forefront of the season, but this moment wasn?t defined in the here and now. It had been built since Sinfield lifted the Super League trophy in 2004; since the fans flocked in their thousands to show their support; since NRL stars and young talent had graced the pitch in blue and amber. 2015 was an end as Leeds were about to start a new chapter.

Little was known or expected of Adam Cuthbertson when he arrived at the club from Newcastle Knights in the NRL, but he soon made a name for himself through his offloading ability. Prop Mitch Garbutt also joined the club midway through the season from Brisbane Broncos, adding extra pack weight for latter part of the season. America was the first stop for Leeds as they beat the USA Pioneers 76-0 in an exhibition match. Back in Leeds, Hunslet and Bradford were beaten, the latter in Jamie Peacock?s testimonial match.

An away visit to Hull KR in the opening round kicked Leeds off for a good start. Briscoe, Sinfield, McGuire twice, Watkins, Hardaker and Singleton were on the board as the Rhinos got started with a 40-30 win.

Widnes and Huddersfield visited Headingley for round two and three and both left with no points as the home side won 38-6 and 28-24. Adam Cuthbertson was on the board in both matches, with the forward sizing up to be one of the impact players in 2015.

McGuire and Burrow were on the board twice against Hull FC as Leeds came back from 12-0 down to score 43 unanswered points in the second half. Warrington would inflict the League Leaders first loss as a visit to the Halliwell Jones Stadium ended in a 6-18 defeat.

Despite having try scorer Tom Briscoe injured during the match, Leeds bounced back with a 26-14 win over Wigan. Jamie Peacock captained the side as Leeds edged to a hard-fought win over last season?s Grand Finalists. Ash Handley, making his debut, got on the scoresheet for his first try of the season alongside Cuthbertson, Singleton, Sutcliffe and Burrow.

Jamie Peacock and Kevin Sinfield announced retirement from rugby league with Peacock taking the role of football manager at Hull KR and Sinfield joining rugby union side Yorkshire Carnegie. An away trip to Catalans kept Leeds on their winning run, Leeds winning 22-38 in the Perpignan heat.

Castleford, Wakefield and Salford kept Leeds ahead of rivals St Helens in first until the two sides met in round 11. If there was ever a time to step up, Ash Handley took his opportunity by scoring three tries inside the first forty minutes. Zak Hardaker and Danny McGuire also touched down in the first half to give Leeds a 6-28 lead at half time. Sutcliffe and Moon got on the board in the second half as Leeds asserted their dominance over the competition to win 16-41.

Warrington would again break Leeds? flow, claiming victory for a second time in the season with a 10-29 win. It would be Kevin Sinfield?s 500^th appearance for the club as he came off the bench. Despite having a 22-08 lead over Huddersfield at the John Smiths Stadium, Leeds held on for a draw as a big second half surge by Huddersfield gained them a point.

Widnes provided one of the season?s shocks as the club ranked tenth in the league beat the Rhinos 24-38 at the Select Security Stadium. However, Leeds started their Challenge Cup retention a week later against Huddersfield. In a near perfect performance, Leeds brushed aside Paul Anderson?s side 48-16 thanks to two tries from Watkins and Hall.

Hull KR proved no match for the upbeat Rhinos as they were downed 36-16 by a Ryan Hall double plus scores from Stevie Ward, Mitch Achurch, Brad Singleton and Kevin Sinfield. Magic Weekend had been a nemesis for Leeds in previous seasons and it wasn?t due to get better, despite a change of location. Now held at St James? Park in Newcastle, Leeds once again faced Wigan, who came out 12-27 victors in front of a record crowd.

Liam Sutcliffe scored three as Leeds kept the pressure on Wakefield with a 58-26 win, but visitors Castleford Tigers demoted Leeds to second with a 24-31 win over the Rhinos.

Hull FC had the pleasure of meeting Leeds twice in two weeks and with a rise to the top of the league top of the priority list, Leeds were through in beating them twice. A Moon double was the highlight in the league match up, as Leeds won 32-20. The Challenge Cup provided the stage for their second matchup at the KC Stadium, but Leeds once again proved too good on the day, putting pressure on Hull boss Lee Radford. Moon, Watkins and Hardaker ensured Leeds reached the last four as Hull balanced on the edge of the Super 8s and Qualifiers.

Mitch Garbutt?s arrival for St Helens got the Australian props Super League career off to a winning start as Leeds once again dominated St Helens at home. Watkins, Leuluai and Hall got tries in the opening 15 minutes to put Leeds 18-0 up. Handley carried his scoring against Keiron Cunningham?s side to make the scores 22-0 at half time. Despite having Hardaker sin binned, Ablett and a second for Handley put Leeds comfortably 32-6 up before Hall got his second and Handley completed his hat trick to win 46-18.

A two-point loss over Wigan was closely followed by a 70-06 thrashing that left Salford battered and bruised in round 22. McGuire, Cuthbertson, Watkins, Delaney, Hardaker, Hall and Moon all got over the whitewash in the first half as Leeds took a dominant lead. Hardaker and Hall added a second try to their tally before Salford got on the board. Keinhorst, Walters and two from Ablett ended the match as Leeds took top spot.

Tom Briscoe returned to the starting line-up to score a hat trick against Catalans in Leeds? final regular season match before the Rhinos entered the inaugural Super 8s competition. Before that, a Challenge Cup semi-final against St Helens. With Warrington meeting Hull KR at Headingley the next day, Leeds channelled their experience to beat St Helens at the Halliwell Jones Stadium. Hardaker, Moon, Watkins and Peacock all ensured a final Wembley hurrah for Leeds? legends.

The top eight clubs that season entered the unknown as the RFL?s new Super 8s competition came into place. The Rhinos would start at home to Warrington, who had knocked Leeds? momentum twice before. But usual, Leeds broke the rules as normal service resumed at Headingley. Watkins and Briscoe opened the scoring early on before Zak Hardaker scored one of the tries of the season to put Leeds 10 points ahead. McGuire got in before half time as Leeds led 24-06. If Hardaker?s first was good, his second was even better as he skipped around the Wolves defence to run 50 metres and score. Moon, Burrow and Ablett finished a comprehensive 49-10 win to start the Super 8s.

In the lead up to the Challenge Cup Final, Leeds defeated Wigan and Hull FC to put Leeds four points clear at the top of the Super 8s table. Wembley is always an occasion, but Hull KR failed to rise to the challenge, giving Sinfield, Peacock and Leuluai the perfect send off. Brett Delaney was an unlikely candidate to open the scoring as he pounced on a loose ball to touch down. Danny McGuire and Tom Briscoe followed suit, touching down to make the score 16-0 at half time. A historical second half harked back to Leeds 1999 win over London Broncos as Briscoe went on to score four more times, marking his name in history as the only player to score five tries in a cup final. Singleton and Burrow were also on the board as Leeds completed history with a 50-0 win to lift their first cup of the season.

Wembley highs were met by Super 8s pain as Leeds went on to lose their next three matches. St Helens, Catalans and Castleford all claimed victory over Leeds, who?s League Leaders shield looked to be slipping away from them.

It would come down to the final match of the season as Leeds faced Huddersfield. The Rhinos needed a win to claim the shield, which could also go over the Pennines to Wigan, should Leeds lose. Stevie Ward crossed early to give Leeds the lead, but Huddersfield wouldn?t go away, taking the lead with 15 minutes left. Tom Briscoe got Leeds back level, but it would be Ryan Hall in the dying seconds who made memories at the John Smiths Stadium. A chip by McGuire bounced perfectly for Hall, who sprinted away from Jermaine McGillvary to touchdown and win the game for Leeds and claim the league leaders.

Another piece of silverware ticked off, speculation of a treble was turning into a reality as Leeds reached another semi-final. At Headingley, it was the perfect way for Sinfield, Peacock and Leuluai to finish their final game on home soil. It was St Helens that shocked the league leaders early on taking an 8-0 lead but Zak Hardaker brought Leeds back to 8-8. A drop goal and a try by Mark Percival threatened to end the season early once more for Leeds but Ryan Hall and Kallum Watkins scored to send Leeds home to Old Trafford 20-13 winners.

Manchester was the best place for Leeds to end their golden decade and send their retiring legends out on a high. They faced Wigan who looked to upset the party as the two sides created one of the best Grand Final tussles in history. Joe Burgess profited from Liam Farrells break to give Wigan an early lead but Leeds, as ever, got right back in it thanks to Danny McGuire and Joel Moon. 10-06 up and Leeds were threatening. Kallum Watkins was put in the clear by McGuire, who took the pass inside to get his second of the match. Dominic Manfredi and Matty Bowen, who was also retiring at the end of the season, put Wigan back in front at 20-16 with Leeds fans fearing the worst. In the magic of Old Trafford, unlikely heroes can provide match winning moments. Bring on youngster Josh Walters, who scored the match winning try for Leeds. A kick deep to the corner was batted back into the hands of Joel Moon. Shifting the ball to Keinhorst, the German international sent Walters through a gap to win the Grand Final. A tense 15 minutes followed but Leeds held on to claim their seventh Grand Final and third trophy for a three legends.

The end of the season signalled the end of another chapter in the club?s history. With the arrival of New Zealand for the test series, Leeds celebrated their treble with a match against the kiwis at Headingley. Former Rhinos players Adrian Morley and Ali Lauitiiti returned to play for the Rhinos with Kylie Leuluai the only retiring player to feature in the match. Leeds would lose 16-34. Zak Hardaker was named Man of Steel for 2015 and was joined by Ryan Hall and Kallum Watkins in the England squad that won the Baskerville Shield. Peacock gained a final Dream Team shirt, with Hardaker, Watkins and Cuthbertson, who made his debut in the team.