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Jamie Jones-Buchanan eager for Leeds Rhinos to gain due respect
THE player who scored the final try in last year's engage Super League grand final is determined to prove Leeds Rhinos' victory was no fluke by helping the defending champions to a repeat success on Saturday.
Jamie Jones-Buchanan's 76th-minute touchdown put the seal on Leeds's 33-6 victory – the second-highest score in grand final history – over St Helens in a one-sided title decider at Old Trafford.
Since then St Helens have turned the tables on Leeds three times and will start the 2008
re-match as 2-5 favourites to exact revenge.
For Jones-Buchanan, Saturday represents an opportunity for the Rhinos to prove themselves as the competition's best team and, from a personal perspective, put a fine finish to one of the most frustrating seasons of his career.
"I don't think we've had a good game against them since we beat them in the grand final," said Jones-Buchanan, who has featured in three of the four matches between the sides this year.
"We played them two weeks ago and we were awful. We have struggled for 50-50 possession in all the games, our discipline has been poor and at times we've been a bit daft.
"We certainly haven't played to our strengths and there are a lot of strong players in this team."
St Helens' ranking as odds-on favourites is not based purely on their record against Leeds – last year's losing grand finalists have already won the Challenge Cup final and the League Leaders' Shield this season to enhance their reputation as the team for the big occasion.
However, Jones-Buchanan, who aims to collect his third grand final winners' ring on Saturday, believes Leeds have not been given the credit their achievements merit.
"The nucleus of this team has been together since the 2004 grand final win and with every match we've played, every grand final we have reached since then, we have become more experienced," he said. "We have shown we can handle the pressure of playing in big games like these, just as Saints have. In terms of big-match nouse we are right up there with them."
As well as winning his second grand final, the 27-year-old second row established himself as an international in 2007, but has struggled to scale the same heights this summer due to two painful injuries.
He suffered serious nerve damage to his left arm in the Rhinos' 14-10 win at St Helens in March – "It was paralysed for a while and is still only 90 per cent right" – and then tore a hamstring playing against Catalans Dragons in July.
The Bramley-born forward has shown tantalising glimpses of his old form over the last month and last Friday roared back in style with a high quality performance in Leeds's 18-14 final eliminator defeat of Wigan when only some heroic defence by his former team-mate and long-time friend Mark Calderwood denied him two tries.
"I've been like a coiled spring the last few weeks. It's always hard to get back to match fitness when you've been out for a while," said Jones-Buchanan, who did his hopes of World Cup selection by national coach Tony Smith the power of good.
"Tony knows all about me, but even though he's my former club coach he's not going to do me any favours" he said. "I know that if I'm going to go to the World Cup I am going to earn selection on merit.
"I'm very fresh and that's one of my biggest strengths at the minute. I feel strong now, all the niggling injuries have gone and mentally and physically I'm probably sharper than I was at the start of the season. It would be fantastic to play in the World Cup, but I'm not going to dwell on that until after Saturday."
One of the motivating factors behind the Rhinos' win last year was the desire of Jones-Buchanan and his team-mates to give Smith a winning send-off in his last match in charge and Saints will be similarly inspired this weekend when coach Daniel Anderson bids his farewell before returning to Australia.
"That's going to mean a lot to them, but they're not short of reasons for wanting to win," said Jones-Buchanan. "Everybody fancies them and that means there is absolutely no pressure on us. We just have to go there as Super League champions and beat them.
"It doesn't matter what's happened since last year's grand final, both teams have to put a full season's effort into the next 80 minutes. I can't wait."
How Saints hold the edge over Leeds in 2008
St Helens 10 Leeds 14
March 28, Super League Rnd 9
Leeds made light of the absence of four members of their grand final-wining team and the loss of Danny McGuire to injury after 10 minutes to secure a fine win.
A first-half try by Ali Lauitiiti plus two goals by Kevin Sinfield gave Leeds an 8-6 lead at the interval and though Saints narrowed the gap, Luke Burgess finished off the job.
Leeds 12 St Helens 26
June 20, Super League Rnd 18
Saints took full advantage of the 53rd-minute dismissal of Nick Scruton for a spear tackle on Keiron Cunningham to send Leeds to defeat.
Two tries by Francis Meli plus others by Leon Pryce, Bryn Hargreaves and Maurie Fa'asavalu swept Saints to their 11th successive win, a result which closed the gap between the title rivals to just two points.
Leeds 16 St Helens 26
July 26, Challenge Cup semi-final
Saints reached a third successive Challenge Cup final with a comfortable victory over Leeds at Huddersfield where the Rhinos fell 18-2 behind to tries by Chris Flannery, Leon Pryce and Jon Wilkin. Leeds closed to within six points with tries by Ali Lauitiiti and Scott Donald, but Saints held firm to seal victory with a try by Bryn Hargreaves.
St Helens 38 Leeds 10
September 19, Super League qualifying semi-final
Leeds relinquished their first chance for a grand final place with barely a whimper as St Helens romped to a seven-try victory.
The Rhinos trailed just 12-4 at the interval, but were never in contention following the restart when James Roby and Jon Wilkin both scored twice.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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