Hull KR 16 Leeds Rhinos 41 - Second big win in seven days marred by injury
A routine 41-16 Betfred Super League victory, at Warrington’s HJ Stadium, was overshadowed by a horrible injury to 20-year-old centre Harry Newman.
The England squad member suffered suspected breaks to the tibia and fibula in his right leg and was taken from the ground by ambulance to a local hospital.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdRhinos were 18-0 up nine minutes before the interval when Newman was hurt.
From the reaction of the players closest to him it was obviously a bad one and Newman’s anguish was audible from the press box on the other side of the stadium.
He was treated at length on the pitch before being carried off on a stretcher after a delay of more than 10 minutes.
If confirmed, the injury will end Newman’s season and almost certainly keep him out of action until midway through next year.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdCoach Richard Agar named a winger, Luke Briscoe, on the bench for both games against Hull KR - in preference to young forwards Jarrod O’Connor and Sam Walters - and the selection was justified each time.
Briscoe’s inclusion allowed Ash Handley to rest a sore hamstring in last Friday’s Coral Challenge Cup tie and this time he came on to the left-wing, with Handley crossing to take over from Newman in the opposite centre.
Having scored nine tries in last week’s 48-18 win, Rhinos ran in seven this time against a Rovers side showing 11 changes from the Cup game.
Rhyse Martin converted the first six of them - to go with his 100 per cent record from the previous match.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdRovers tried hard, but there was a difference in class; Leeds were in command from start to finish and deserve credit for maintaining their concentration after Newman went off. Luke Gale ran the show again, with good support from fellow playmakers Rob Lui - whose second-half tackle on Shaun Kenny-Dowall was a highlight - and Richie Myler.
Kruise Leeming had another good game, playing the full-80, and young prop Tom Holroyd gained some more valuable game time, but Leeds were superior in all departments.
Rovers scored three tries, two of them coming from kicks, but Leeds defended well when they were put under pressure and their finishing was impressive.
Leeds’ three big wins over Rovers this year have all been built on a good start and they were 12-0 up after 11 minutes.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdNick Rawsthorne, who had a spell in Rhinos’ academy at the start of his career, made a sensational tackle to hold Leeming up over the line after a combination between Gale and Mikolaj Oledzki had split Rovers’ defence.
But then the winger knocked on trying to intercept to give Leeds another set and Martin swooped over from Lui’s pass.
That was after just five minutes and Leeds scored again six later, through Handley. He finished strongly at the corner, but it was Myler’s long pass to the left-wing which did the damage.
Gale had a touchdown ruled out soon afterwards before James Donaldson added Rhinos’ third try.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdHe is a player with a point to prove when Rhinos play Rovers, having been let go by them at the end of the 2018 season.
He scored in the big home win over his former club in February and doubled his tally for the season, on 23 minutes - just seconds after coming off the bench.
Leeds were fortunate to get a penalty for a ball steal, which could easily have been ruled a knock-on, but they made it count when the back-rower blasted over from a pass by Lui.
Leeds added one more try before the break, through Myler. He was in support to cross after Liam Sutcliffe had been sent into space by Gale.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe Robins gave themselves some hope on the final play of the half when Jez Litten’s cross-field kick was batted back by Rawsthorne to Jimmy Keinhorst - one of six ex-Leeds players in their 17 - who touched down.
That hope was extinguished six minutes into the second period when Handley went over for his second try off some lovely short passing close to the line by Tom Briscoe and Myler.
Elliot Minchella, another of Rovers’ former Rhinos contingent, showed some good touches off the bench and set up their second try on 53 minutes, sliding a kick over the line which Ryan Brierley dabbed down before adding his second conversion.
That again got Rovers, slightly, back into the game, but Leeds responded with a simple try, scored by Alex Mellor after Leeming and Gale combined, then Luke Briscoe went over after Gale and Myler had again linked.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAn airborne finish by Kenny-Dowall produced Rovers’ third try, but Gale landed a drop goal two minutes from time to complete the scoring. It was Leeds’ fourth successive win and they look like a good team, even with several key players missing for various reasons.
Agar is likely to rest many of his first-choice players against Catalans Dragons on Wednesday, but whatever happens then they can go into next weekend’s Cup semi-final against Wigan in good heart - though the loss of Newman will lead to some reorganising.
The penalty count finished five-five, but Leeds received four set restarts to Hull KR’s one.
A message from the Editor:
Leeds has a fantastic story to tell - and the Yorkshire Evening Post has been rooted firmly at the heart of telling the stories of our city since 1890. We believe in ourselves and hope you believe in us too. We need your support to help ensure we can continue to be at the heart of life in Leeds.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdSubscribe to our website and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click HERE to subscribe. For more details on our newspaper subscription offers click HEREThank you, Laura Collins
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.