One 4/10 and a few 7s in Peter Smith's Leeds Rhinos player ratings from 22-6 loss at Wigan Warriors

The result confirmed Rhinos in fourth place and means they will play St Helens - who have beaten them three times in four meetings this year - in an elimination play-off at AMT Headingley next Saturday night. It was the first time Leeds have lost successive Betfred Super League games this season and only the second occasion they’ve suffered back-to-back defeats in all competitions.

Rhinos fielded almost all their first-choice forwards, but their makeshift back division was always going to find it tough against more or less a full-strength Wigan. There wasn’t much in the game during the opening 20 minutes. Wigan scored two tries in four minutes early in the second quarter and repeated that straight after the break.

After that Rhinos showed some true grit to avoid a drubbing and had the consolation of the final try, which was a cracker. Wigan may well have set a record when they - unsuccessfully - challenged a knock-on call against Abbas Miski in only the fourth minute. Despite a set-restart, Leeds couldn’t find a way through and that set the tone for the night.

They were marginally the better side in an error-ridden opening quarter, but after Wigan had created a couple of half-chances, the hosts opened the scoring with their first real opportunity when Miski went over at the corner, following a penalty and six-again. Just four minutes later Bevan French and Liam Farrell combined in Wigan’s half to send Adam Keighran speeding away and French was in support to score.

Leeds did have an opportunity just before the break when Brodie Croft put James Bentley into a gap. He passed on to Jack Sinfield, who was tackled; Leeds moved the ball right to create an overlap, but Croft’s pass went short to James McDonnell, who had no way through. Assuming they didn’t drop it, either Harry Newman or Riley Lumb would have scored if the ball had reached them and that might have put a different slant on things.

But it was 12-0 at the break and just three minutes after the interval Harry Smith’s kick wasn’t taken and French touched down for his second. Keighran landed his third conversion before French then put Jake Wardle over to make it 22-0 after 48 minutes.

At that stage it looked like getting really nasty for Leeds, but they dug in creditably for the final half an hour and didn’t concede again, leaving them to regret the two poor defensive spells. Wigan thought they’d got a fifth try with seven minutes left, but Jai Field’s pass to Miski was forward. Leeds then, unexpectedly, avoided a nilling with a spectacular try moments later. Sinfield made the break and Chris Hankinson was in support to slide over through the last-ditch tackle. Sinfield also converted.

Wigan Warriors: Field, Miski, Keighran, Wardle, Marshall, French, Smith, Byrne, O’Neill, Thompson, Walters, Farrell, Ellis. Subs Harvard, Nsemba, Mago, Leeming.

Leeds Rhinos: Hankinson, Lumb, Newman, Watkins, Simpson, Croft, Sinfield, Oledzki, O’Connor, Jenkins, Gannon, McDonnell, Palasia. Subs Lisone, Bentley, Holroyd, Shorrocks.

Referee: Chris Kendall (Huddersfield). Attendance: