One gets 3/10, a trio receive 7 in Peter Smith's Leeds Rhinos player ratings from 26-14 loss at Leigh Leopards

Rhinos began the game well, were in it at the interval when they trailed 10-2, but went to pieces from the second half kick off. It was an under-strength team, without nine injury victims including five of the first 13, but they didn’t play well, the pack were out-muscled and some shocking errors were punished by a good, though not outstanding, Leigh side.

As always, there was no lack of effort, but – without Mikolaj Oledzki and Keenan Palasia – Rhinos lacked size and Leigh’s big men exploited that in the middle of the field. Inevitably, Rhinos missed Man of Steel Jake Connor, especially his kicking game. A couple of times in the first half forwards, Ethan O’Neill and Presley Cassell, found themselves putting boot to ball on the last and Leigh’s defence wasn’t tested. Early in the game, when Leeds had some momentum, Lachie Miller kicked early in the count and the hosts were let off the hook.

Riley Lumb, who scored a wonderful solo try in last week’s Challenge Cup win at Widnes Vikings, retained his place on the wing and Chris Hankinson returned from injury at centre, in place of Ned McCormack. Sadly for Lumb, he made a catastrophic error when he dropped the second half kick off, allowing Leigh to extend their lead to 14-2 just eight seconds after the break, which is when the wheels really came off.

Hankinson booted Rhinos ahead with an early penalty, but couldn’t take anything else from a spell of early pressure and Leigh scored with their first attack. Bailey Hodgson made the initial break before Lachlan Lam’s long pass put former Castleford Tigers winger Innes Senior over at the corner.

On 25 minutes O’Neill - making his Leeds Super League debut against his former club and booed by the home fans - kicked dead on the last, Leigh got a penalty in the next set and Edwin Ipape crossed for their second try off a one-two with Joe Ofahengaue. Adam Cook’s conversion made it 10-0 at half-time.

Holroyd and Watkins both went close, but Leeds didn’t ask serious questions of the home side’s defence in the opening period and two tries from kicks put the game beyond Leeds within eight minutes of the resumption. When Lumb dropped the restart, Jack Hughes kicked the ball forward and ran through to touch down. Then Watkins knocked on and at the end of the resulting set Cook’s kick on the last came off McDonnell and Miller and Matt Davis was awarded the score. Referee Tom Grant initially said ‘no try’, but was overruled by video assistant Liam Rush after a ridiculous number of replays.

Cook added the extras, but Leeds pulled a try back through a tremendous effort from prop Cooper Jenkins who took George Brown’s pass, burst past the first line of defence and rounded the full-back for a brilliant score, improved by Hankinson. Brown, Leeds’ 18-year-old half-back making his Betfred Super League debut, didn’t have a lot of opportunity with the ball, but stood up well in defence.

Another Lumb knock-on led to Lachlan Lam going over for the try, converted by Cook, which settled matters. It was 12-a-side then with Harry Newman and Davis in the sin-bin. Leeds grabbed a consolation when Brodie Croft dummied through in the final moments and Hankinson added the extras.

In front of a full house 9,603 crowd, a first half challenge by McDonnell and Tom Holroyd which left Robbie Mulhern needing treatment was placed on report. The penalty count was eight-eight and Rhinos received five set-restarts to Leigh’s one.

Leigh Leopards: Hodgson, Senior, Niu, Brand, Charnley, Cook, Lam, Trout, Ipape, Mulhern, Halton, Alick-Wiencke, Ofahengaue. Hughes, Davis, Badrock, Horne.

Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Lumb, Newman, Hankinson, Hall, Croft, Brown, Jenkins, O’Connor, Holroyd, McDonnell, O’Neill, Watkins. Subs Levi, Nicholson-Watton, Cassell, Littlewood.

Referee: Tom Grant (Leeds). Attendance: 9,603.