Peter Smith's Leeds Rhinos player ratings from 24-16 fightback win v St Helens

At half-time it looked like being the same old story as Leeds - without a victory against Saints at AMT Headingley since 2017 - trailed 16-8. They’d had enough ball and territory to clinch half a dozen games, but not made the most of it and cracked three times when put under pressure.

But the second half was a different story as an early Jake Connor kick got Rhinos on the front foot and, from then on, they were always in control, though they left it late to seal the win. Keeping Saints scoreless after the break was a good achievement in a fractious game which was littered with penalties, most of them to Rhinos and included two yellow cards.

Rhinos took the two, through Connor, in the third minute when Brodie Croft was taken out by Curtis Sironen in front of Saints’ posts. On another day that might have been a sin-binning, but Jack Smith - refereeing this fixture for the fifth successive time - kept the yellow card in his pocket.

Saints received a penalty moments afterwards and in that set Daryl Clark burst past James McDonnell and Cooper Jenkins before offloading to Alex Walmsley whose try was converted by Tristan Sailor. Other than that defensive lapse, Leeds dominated the next half an hour.

Ash Handley was held up over the line and Maika Sivo was twice denied by try-saving tackles before Connor’s pass put Chris Hankinson into a huge gap and he beat the last line of defence. Connor’s conversion made it 8-6 after 26 minutes.

Saints didn’t have an attack in Leeds’ half between their sixth-minute try and the 32nd, when a high tackle by Kallum Watkins got them on the front foot. And for the second time in the game, Leeds’ defence crumbled: Joe Shorrocks, George Whitby and Jonny Lomax moved the ball right and Kyle Feldt crossed in acres of space. Sailor tagged on the extras.

Things got worse. A knock-on by Harry Newman followed by two drop-outs put Leeds under pressure and on the final play of the half, with 52 seconds left, Sailor touched down a kick by Welsby to make it 16-8 at the break.

Connor stepped up and took the game by the neck in the second stanza, beginning with what looked like being a 40-20 kick. Feldt prevented that, but conceded a drop out and in the resulting set Newman went over from a superb Croft pass and the conversion made it a two-point ball game.

Ryan Hall, who had a fine game, put a foot over the touchline to catch the restart, earning a penalty on half-way and that led to Connor levelling the scores after a high shot on Watkins.

It stayed all square until seven minutes from time when David Klemmer was sin-binned following a foul on Hankinson and Connor booted Leeds ahead with the penalty.

Based on bitter past experience, Leeds couldn’t feel safe until, with two left, they ran a penalty in front of Saints’ posts and Sivo went over from a pass by impressive rookie Fergus McCormack. Connor’s touchline goal sealed the points, despite Cameron Smith being sin-binned for a professional foul in the final seconds.

In front of 13,452, Leeds received 12 penalties to Saints’ six (six-three in each half), though the visitors won the set restart count three-two. Riley Lumb, Elliot Fox and Jacob Hardy all bagged a brace of tries as Rhinos reserves overpowered Saints 40-4 in the curtain-raiser. Ned McCormack and Marcus Qareqare also crossed and Zak Lloyd kicked four goals.

Leeds Rhinos: F McCormack, Sivo, Newman, Handley, Hall, Croft, Connor, Oledzki, O’Connor, Jenkins, Hankinson, McDonnell, Watkins. Subs Smith, Levi, Cassell, Palasia.

St Helens: Welsby, Sailor, Percival, Robertson, Feldt, Lomax, Whitby, Klemmer, Clark, Walmsley, Whitley, Sironen, Shorrocks. Subs Delaney, Wright, Davies, Humphries.

Referee: Jack Smith (Wigan). Attendance: 13,452.