Blowing away the Christmas day cobwebs, the traditional
encounter between the newly promoted Wakefield Trinity and the Leeds Rhinos
drew the crowd to AMT Headingley for a Boxing Day morning encounter.
Rhinos coach Arthur was up front with his game plan, giving
the first choice back row a forty-minute run and then interchanging them for
the youngsters for the second forty, as they came up against ex-coach Daryl
Powell’s Trinity who were looking to gauge where they are in their build up to towards
the Superleague season.
Leeds put the boot through the ball to kick off the final
game of 2025, attacking the Western Terrace.
It was a string start from the Rhinos, building pressure on the
Wakefield line and playing the majority of the game in the Wakefield half. On eight
minutes Jake Connor dropped the shoulder to go through a small gap in the Trinity
defence to score by the right upright to give the home side the lead, a debut
try for the Rhinos new boy. Connor added the conversion for a 6-0 lead.
Connor got his second on fourteen with another dummy after
he joined the Rhinos line to take a Brodie Croft pass and dot down. Once gain
he added the conversion to put the Rhinos two scores ahead.
Turning defence into attack, a great break from Maika Sivo
over eighty metres put the Rhinos in a great attacking position but the Wakefield
defence held firm and Trinity trailed by twelve at the interval.
Wakefield opened their account on forty-seven with a ninety
metre try from Noah Booth after a Rhinos from Joe Diskin mistake on the attack,
putting the ball to ground. Olly Russell added the conversion for 6-12.
Mikolaj Oledzki was held up over the line for the Rhinos on
fifty-two. But on sixty-two it was Wakefield who scored again with Seth
Nikotemo going through a big gap in the Leeds defence and grounding by the left
upright. Russell banged the kick between the posts to tie the game with
seventeen minutes remaining.
Seven minutes from time and Trinity hit the from with Dom
Sinfield on the end of a nice left to right passing move to run the angle and
dot down in the corner. This time the conversion was wide of the mark,
Wakefield with a slender four-point lead.
From the kick-off the Rhinos hit straight back as George
Brown caught a bouncing ball that bamboozled the Wakefield defence to go over
the line and score. Jack Sinfield added the conversion to regain the lead for
the Rhinos with just three minutes remaining.
Leeds ran the clock down in the attack to take the win in
the festive challenge and give the respective coaches plenty to think about,
and be positive about, ahead of the coming season. It was a dream debut for
Jake Connor with two tries and two goals but Wakefield showed that they have
the backbone to be competitive in 2025.
Leeds Rhinos: Connor (2T, 2G), Sivo, Newman, Handley, Hall,
Croft, Frawley, Oledzki, Ackers, Palasia. Bentley, McDonnell, Smith. Subs: O’Connor,
Sinfield (G), Holroyd, Lumb, Diskin, Nicholson-Watton, Brown (T).
Wakefield Trinity: Rourke, Pratt, Scott, Hall, Walmsley,
Trueman, Russell (2G), Hamlin-Uele, Smith, Rodwell, Nikotemo (T), Vagana, Cozza. Subs: Stephenson, Lingard, Sinfield (T),
Staveley-Carr, McSwiney, Delaney, Lino, Bain, Croft, Walker-Smith, Shaw, Booth
(T).
Half-Time: 12-0.
Full-Time: 18-16.
Score Progression: 4-0,
6-0, 10-0, 12-0 : HT: 12-4, 12-6, 12-10, 12-12, 12-16, 16-16, 18-16 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Leeds – Square – Wakefield -Square - Leeds.
Referee: Tom Grant.
