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Leeds condemn Wakefield to a fourth defeat in a row

Leeds Rhinos scored 26 unanswered points in the second-half as they secured the two points over local rivals Wakefield Trinity.

Tries from the returning Harry Newman, Tom Holroyd, Nene MacDonald and a brace from David Fusitu’a in the last 40 were enough to condemn Wakefield to their forth defeat in as many games, and their third scoreless game in a row.

The talk pre-game was all around the weather. Heavy snowfall across the North East put the game into balance, but thanks to the hard work of all the staff at Leeds Rhinos, the game went ahead.

Both teams lacked the cutting edge in the first half, and they each defended their lines well. Wakefield were able to hold up Rhyse Martin as he looked certain to cross for the nights first try.

The visitors used the strong carrying of Jai Whitbread and Eddie Battye to punch holes in the middle, but they were not able to execute when it mattered. Whitbread himself came close, but was also held up over the line.

Chances for both sides went begging, but the biggest opportunity came in the 39th minute as Nene MacDonald broke down the wing and created a three-on-one, only to be stopped before giving the crucial pass.

The Rhinos did cross the whitewash later on in that set. Blake Austin crossed over following Aidan Sezer’s cross-field kick, but it was ruled out for a knock-on in the air by Martin, and the scores remained 0-0 at the break.

The second-half was a completely different spectacle.

It took the Rhinos just five minutes to finally break the deadlock. Slick hands from Austin and Richie Myler got the ball to David Fusitu’a in space on the wing, and he dived over for his first try of the game. 4-0 Rhinos.

Fusitu’a played an important part in the Rhinos second try. In the 60th minute The winger tapped a kick from Austin back into play, which fell perfectly for Harry Newman who ran in under the sticks to the delight of the Headingley faithful. The try came just a couple of minutes after his introduction to the game, his first in seven months following a hamstring injury. Martin added the extras to make it 10-0 to the Rhinos.

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The Rhinos added their third of the night a few minutes later. A great snipe from Sezer out of dummy half found the Australian within an earshot of the Wakefield line, and he was able to connect with Tom Holroyd, who walked over for his first try of the season. Martin slotted the kick and the score went to 16-0.

The Headingley outfit were in again not long after, in a carbon copy of their first try. Great hands through the backline found Fusitu’a in space, and he added his second of the night to take the score to 20-0.

That wasn’t the end of it. Wakefield came back hard. An error from Nene MacDonald in the midfield gave them good field position to attack from, and they came within inches of scoring, as Kevin Proctor was held up over the line.

However, a sloppy pass from Mason Lino from the following restart was pounced on by Myler who broke free down the wing. He found Nene MacDonald, who galloped in for his first try in the blue and amber. With Martin off the pitch, the kicking duties fell to Sezer, who split the posts to make the scores 26-0.

There was to be one last effort from the blue and amber. Wakefield took the ball up again and were held up over the line. From the following restart they got the ball out wide to Jorge Taufua, who was instantly swarmed by Rhinos defenders and hurled into touch.

This epitimised the effort from the Headingley outfit in the second half, as they ran out 26-0 winners on the night. Rohan Smith’s side will be very pleased to secure their second victory of the season and build on a huge result against St Helens. Mark Applegarth’s men however face a different tale. Their forth loss of the season, and the third match in a row where they’ve failed to register a single point.