'Heartbroken': Leeds Rhinos fans' anger & disbelief after play-off loss to St Helens

Leading 14-6 with six minutes remaining, Rhinos lost 16-14 after Jon Bennison scored a hugely controversial try - awarded by video referee Chris Kendall - to get Saints back in the game and then Shane Wright grabbed the winner after the hooter had sounded. It was a cruel way for the season to end and for our panel - like most Leeds supporters - the shock is yet to wear off.

GAVIN MILLER

If I’m honest, I am still trying to process Saturday night’s loss to St Helens. Not until the last two seconds of the game did I have a doubt we would progress to the semi-finals of the play-offs.

I was already thinking about tickets for Hull KR, who would be driving and filling out an ‘IF form’ when something I can’t quite describe unfolded in front of my eyes. As Saints worked the ball across towards my seat in the North Stand, we called the try seconds before they went over; everything just went quiet and dull with the exception of the delirium from the away end and the Saints players on the pitch. I couldn’t quite believe what I had just witnessed.

All I can say and hope is that, albeit in devastating circumstances, our team will learn from this. Maybe this is their 2003 Challenge Cup final, a heartbreaking loss that precedes overwhelming glory. If they can take anything away from Saturday, it is they need to improve game management, seeing out a game and be more clinical and less naive.

This is undoubtedly a talented squad, the best we may have seen for 10 seasons at Headingley and they just have to pick themselves up and go again next year. For the moment though, this one will take some getting over.

IAIN SHARP

As is my want, I spent most of Saturday morning on the bottom of a lake (some cynics might suggest that is the best place for me), but even 35 feet down, I was less out of my depth than the referees Jack Smith and Chris Kendall were on Saturday night.

Having said that, Leeds should not have found themselves in that position in the first place. Against my better judgement, at 14-6 up with a few minutes left to play, I nipped off to queue for a ticket for the potential Hull KR game, even with the thought there was still the huge potential for them to blow it.

For younger Leeds fans, who may be encountering the bitter sting of this sort of defeat for the first time, I have some bad news for you. Although this particular loss was spectacular in its collapse, there’ll be plenty more where that came from. I say that with around 40 years of Leeds watching experience to call upon, so suck it up.

Watching Leeds at times can be mental torture. It can be a test of resilience and the only support groups to call upon are your mates and fellow fans around you, who are probably also going through the same anguish. However, defeats like this will mellow in time; you’ll soon remember the wins over the stuffings. The calendar will

roll round, you’ll have signed for another season ticket, be eager for the pre-season games and count down the days to the new season, a new page and new start. Nights like Saturday are merely filed as a bad distant memory.

BECKY OXLEY

If that was a try by Jon Bennison, then I’m definitely going to win the lottery. It was a pivotal moment in a match we should have won and were leading by eight points. I can’t express my reaction in writing, but let’s just say it included some colorful language. This will be a memory that lingers with me for quite some time. We truly deserved the victory and were on track for it.

While it wasn’t our finest performance, we were doing enough to advance to the semi-finals. There were several questionable calls that didn’t favour us, but the players’ response at the end of the match spoke volumes. It would be simple to dwell on the negatives of the game, but finishing fourth overall in our first complete season under Brad Arthur is a significant accomplishment and something the team should take pride in.

We’ve shown passion, have been competitive all season, even in defeat and the teamwork has been outstanding. Jake Connor deserves recognition for silencing critics throughout the season and demonstrating the caliber of player he is. The skill he has displayed on the field has been breathtaking and, especially after Saturday’s match, it’s clear how much the club means to him. The way we have developed and collaborated as a squad is thrilling and I’m already eager for 2026 to see how far we can go.

The Ashes are coming up in a few weeks and it will be intriguing to see how many Rhinos players make the cut. Let’s hope for an England series victory and then look forward to next season and marching on together in 2026.

DAVID MUHL

Gutted, that sums up my feelings after Saturday’s game. Sport is cruel at times and this was evident in bucketfulls. Brad Arthur refused to blame the referee and video referee, but I will - to a point.

I always thought to overrule an on-field decision there must be clear evidence of error. The video referee changed the referee’s decision on two occasions which were dubious and awarded a very debatable try to Saints. It was just one of those nights; Saints played a very spoiling game, holding down in the tackle at every possible occasion and the number of forward passes that went unpunished was at a record high.

I seem to be concentrating on the negatives but there were plenty of positives. On a night we said goodbye to Gary Hetherington, Julie Bush and Sian Jones, the club put on an event worthy of the play-offs and everything seemed to be pointing towards a win. But it wasn’t to be. There were good performances across the board, Brodie Croft is a different player when Jake Connor is at his side; as well as his attack some of his tackles are bone crunching. James McDonnell was my man of the match, he was everywhere in defence and scored the try of the game.

Harry Newman also had a good game and Ash Handley, returning from injury, was very unlucky to have a try marked off. I won't mention the final minute, best forgotten. I never thought in a million years that we would make the play-offs this year, so a top-four finish was beyond my wildest dreams and I can’t be too despondent.

Add the reserves winning their Grand Final and the Academy being finalists in theirs, it all looks very positive for the future. Another pre-season under BA and we’ll be an even better team.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

For once, I am at a complete loss for words as to how Leeds lost their first and final play-off game of 2025 against St Helens. It was a game we dominated, but a lack of ruthlessness in attack led to our hearts being broken after the hooter sounded. The amount of times we had the ball in a promising position and failed to turn it into points was always going to haunt us.

I try to avoid joining the pile on against referees, but on this occasion that is impossible. So many key decisions went against Leeds which I thought were completely baffling and downright wrong. Curtis Sironen made direct contact with James McDonnell’s head while he was defenceless on the ground, but apparently that is now not a red card offence. The less said about Saints’ second try, which was short of the line, the better.

We should have seen the game out, but it’s made infinitely harder when Leeds seem to be playing against the referee as well. However, for the winning try of the night, Leeds only have themselves to blame. Saints players were dancing around us, how hard is it to make a tackle and drag them into touch?

While you could argue we shouldn’t have been in a position where the final play mattered so much, it was completely pathetic defending from Leeds. In all my years of watching Rhinos, this moment has hurt the most and it will take a while to get over it.