Leeds Rhinos 20 Huddersfield Giants 20: No golden finale as points are shared

AN INCREDIBLY dramatic game at Headingley last night ended all square, only the second time a Betfred Super League game has been drawn after going into golden-point extra-time.
Giants celebrate Innes Senior scoring their equalising try.    Picture Bruce RollinsonGiants celebrate Innes Senior scoring their equalising try.    Picture Bruce Rollinson
Giants celebrate Innes Senior scoring their equalising try. Picture Bruce Rollinson

Leeds will be the more disappointed team, having produced a much improved performance led by 10 points going into the final two minutes.

They seemed on the verge of only their second win of the season, but Giants scored back-to-back tries to level the scores at 20-20 and Tui Lolohea could have won it with the final kick of the 80, but his touchline conversion attempt was just wide.

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Theo Fages and Blake Austin failed with drop goal attempts in the first five-minute period of extra-time and Kruise Leeming did the same in the second, then Austin missed with the final kick of the match.

Morgan Gannon celebrates scoring the Rhinos' third try.  Picture Bruce RollinsonMorgan Gannon celebrates scoring the Rhinos' third try.  Picture Bruce Rollinson
Morgan Gannon celebrates scoring the Rhinos' third try. Picture Bruce Rollinson

Having gone behind early on, Rhinos hit back to lead 12-4 at half-time and, until the last two minutes, they looked like deserved winners.

Former Leeds man Tui Lolohea missed with an early penalty attempt, but set-up Giants’ opening try in the set from the restart, sucking in Leeds’s left-side defence and then sending Jermaine McGillvary through a huge gap.

Leeds’s response to that setback was very good. Ash Handley made a big break through the middle, a penalty kept Rhinos on the front foot and Liam Sutcliffe finished superbly from Leeming’s pass, a try which Martin improved.

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Remarkably, those points were the first Leeds had scored before half-time in four home matches and it was also the first time they had been in front under interim-boss Jamie Jones-Buchanan. Ricky Leutele almost restored Giants’ lead with a surging run down the left, but Jack Walker and Tom Briscoe – in his 200th game for Leeds and 300th Super League appearance – kept him out. On 26 minutes Rhinos, with the entire South Stand yelling ‘two’ – tapped a penalty in front of the posts, following a ball steal.

It paid off as Martin cut through from an excellent pass by Austin. His conversion attempt, though, bounced away off a post to leave Rhinos only six points ahead.

Soon after that, Leeds had to reshuffle when Walker was hurt on a kick return.

In the final minute of the half, after Giants had been applying some pressure, Joe Greenwood went high on Bentley and Martin kicked the penalty.

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The second-rower booted Leeds further ahead in similar fashion 10 minutes into the second half following another high tackle on Bentley.

That came after a spell of Huddersfield pressure which ended when Innes Senior was shoved into touch a few metres away from the hosts’ line.

Leutele looked the Giants player most likely to get them back into the game and so it proved on 53 minutes when, after several near-misses, he got over from an outstanding offload by Jack Cogger.

Lolohea cut the gap further with a touchline conversion, but the vital next try went to the home team.

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Giants shot themselves in the foot by conceding a penalty on the last and teenager Morgan Gannon blasted over for a powerful finish which Martin converted to make the gap 10 points.

Leeds held on to their two-score advantage until a couple of minutes from time, but Luke Yates scored a scrambled try, which Lolohea converted, then Leeds were penalised from the restart and Senior produced a sensational finish at the corner after good hands across the line created some space, sending the tie into extra-time.

Leeds: Walker, Handley, Mellor, Briscoe, Tindall, Sutcliffe, Austin, Oledzki, Leeming, Prior, Bentley, Martin, Smith. Substitutes: Dwyer, Gannon, Tetevano, Donaldson.

Huddersfield: Lolohea, I. Senior, Leutele, Cudjoe, McGillvary, Cogger, Fages, Hill, Levi, Trout, McQueen, Jones, Yates. Substitutes: English, Greenwood, Wilson, Golding.

Referee: Marcus Griffiths (RFL).

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