Leeds Rhinos 11 St Helens 10: Marvellous McGuire kicks Rhinos to victory

After the embarrassment of Hull FC’s 76-18 hammering at Huddersfield on Thursday, Leeds Rhinos and St Helens duly combined to produce a classic.

And Danny McGuire, not Kevin Sinfield for once, delivered Leeds’s coup de grace, slotting a nerveless drop-goal in the 77th minute to leave the champions just 80 minutes from Old Trafford once more.

But having led 10-0, they made life hard for themselves in a frantic and nerve-wracking encounter at Headingley Carnegie as Saints – hoping to win a Grand Final from fifth as had their opponents in each of the last two seasons – pushed them all the way.

It was no surprise the pulsating game delivered in such a manner; Leeds and St Helens have played more play-off games than any other sides since the Grand Final was introduced in 1998 and have also faced each more times than any others.

The West Yorkshire club have now won seven of those 11 meetings, most crucially four times at Old Trafford.

It is Warrington Wolves, though, who now face the trickiest of decisions when ClubCall arrives at noon tomorrow.

Next Thursday do they host six-times champions Leeds, who they defeated in last week’s play-off but lost to in last year’s Grand Final, or pick League Leaders’ Shield winners Huddersfield against whom they are dominant?

If they opt to face the Giants, Leeds will go to Wigan next Friday.

Leeds, with Carl Ablett and Ian Kirke terrific up front, completely dominated the first half last night apart from on the actual scoreboard. It was more testimony to St Helens’ excellent defence, however, rather than any obvious deficiencies in the hosts’ attack that Brian McDermott’s side led only 4-0.

Plus one of those ever so strange video referee decisions the sport tends to get every now and again.

Leeds were on the wrong end of a ‘benefit of the doubt’ decision a week ago when no camera angle whatsoever could truly see Ben Westwood even grounded the ball for Warrington.

Last night everyone witnessed McGuire do just that in the 36th minute after burrowing over and the majority in the crowd would have ruled ‘try’.

Video referee Ben Thaler somehow decided otherwise.

Fittingly, perhaps, McGuire came up with that decisive play at the end to decide it anyway after two tries from ex-Hull FC forward Willie Manu got the visitors so close.

In the first half Leeds hogged territory although, strangely, it was the visitors who looked more threatening with Nathan Brown’s side showing a real willingness to throw the ball around from deep in their own half.

Maybe they realised they would gain little change out of the home pack down the middle and so chanced their arm out wide.

It did create a few clear breaks but each time they panicked when more composure would have created problems for Leeds.

Instead, the hosts battered away and got their reward when Kallum Watkins showed some neat footwork to catch Francis Meli off balance in the 31st minute.

Sinfield could not convert but did so when Joel Moon latched onto McGuire’s grubber at the start of the second period.

After, though, it was all Saints.

Mitch Achurch, recalled in preference to Brad Singleton in the only change to Leeds’s squad, made an error in the restart set but the excellent Jonny Lomax, for once, did not threaten and his tame kick was easily negated by Ben Jones-Bishop.

However, a rare mistake from Man of Steel contender Jamie Peacock invited them in once more and, this time, Brown’s side struck, in the 50th minute, Manu racing through a gap created by Jon Wilkin’s smart pass.

Leeds, making uncharacteristic errors, then seemed at sixes and sevens for a hefty period.

Even when they escaped downfield long enough to regroup, Watkins fumbled on the first tackle 10m from the Saints’ line as a complete role reversal from the first half ensued.

The panic continued when, of all people, six-time Grand Final winner Rob Burrow needlessly ran behind his own man on his own 20m line to concede another penalty. Fortunately for them, Turner managed to mess up a play-the-ball in his rush to gain an advantage leaving his colleagues perhaps wishing they had accepted the two points.

However, there was no let-off in the 70th minute when, after Watkins had gone high on Alex Walmsley, another perfectly-timed pass by Wilkin put Manu sprinting over towards the corner from 20m.

Turner could not hit the target but when Sinfield sailed the restart into touch everyone presumed the St Helens centre would have a shot from halfway.

However, instead, they turned down the chance of two points and gambled. Tony Puletua almost crashed over, Watkins and Hardaker just holding him up, before Wilkin tried a drop-goal but it was a poor effort hooked wide. McGuire’s was not.

Sinfield was pressured but he found his trusted team-mate who did the rest.

Leeds Rhinos: Hardaker; Jones-Bishop, Watkins, Moon, Hall; Sinfield, McGuire; Leuluai, Burrow, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Ablett, Delaney. Substitutes: Bailey, Achurch, Kirke, Sutcliffe.

St Helens: Lomax; Makinson, Turner, Meli, Swift; Wilkin, Hohaia; Puletua, Roby, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Soliola, Manu, Jones. Substitutes: Wellens, Laffranchi, Clough, Walmsley.

Referee: Phil Bentham (Warrington).