St Helens hit back to seal smash-and-grab win at Leeds

St Helens scored two tries in three second-half minutes to seal a smash-and-grab 18-8 comeback win at Leeds in their Super League clash at Headingley.

Saints survived the Rhinos’ relentless early pressure relatively unscathed, then struck either side of the hour mark through Jon Bennison and Moses Mbye to claim a much-needed top-flight victory.

Paul Wellens’ men had been left reeling by last week’s shock home loss to Salford, and appeared on course for another costly reverse as the revitalised home side produced an electric opening half-hour.

Underpinned by a starring role from full-back Lachie Miller, Leeds poured forward with purpose, and Harry Newman was denied by a try-saving tackle from Lewis Dodd before they grabbed a deserved lead with 10 minutes gone.

Brodie Croft sent a superb ball out right where it found Luis Roberts who sped over in the corner, Rhyse Martin’s difficult conversion, followed shortly afterwards by a much simpler penalty, stretching their lead to eight points.

Luis Roberts twisted over for his first try of the season as Leeds hit the front

Restricted to a solitary charge by Matty Lees in the early stages, Saints displayed much more purpose following the introductions of Mbye and James Bell on the half-hour, and reduced the deficit after Waqa Blake burrowed over and Jonny Lomax converted from the touchline.

Waqa Blake hit back with a crucial try for St Helens against the run of play in the first half

A two-point lead was scant reward for Leeds’ first-half performance, and it always felt they might be made to pay for their failure to wrest a firmer foothold as Saints pinned them back early in the second half.

Although a rare spill from Jack Welsby, under pressure from Tom Holroyd, eased the pressure and enabled a brief period of retaliation from the Rhinos, it was Saints who made their match-winning move just short of the hour mark.

Fast hands out to the right sent Bennison soaring over in the corner, then an untimely error from the otherwise impressive Miller, who kicked out on the full, piled the pressure back on and saw Mbye crashing over from close range.

Two more conversions from Lomax, who assumed kicking duties with aplomb in place of the suspended Mark Percival and Tommy Makinson, who had pulled up in the warm-up, all but ended Leeds’ hopes of fighting their way back into the match.

The Rhinos were riled by a tackle from Sione Mata’utia that up-ended James Bentley but went unpunished, but their only solace was the opportunity of swift revenge when the two clubs clash again at Headingley next Friday in the sixth round of the Challenge Cup.

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