Leeds Rhinos 24 St Helens 16: Hosts break Headingley hoodoo to move clear at Super League summit
Recent history meant there was always likely to be a psychological hurdle for Leeds Rhinos to overcome against St Helens.
The Rhinos had not beaten their old Grand Final foes at home since August 2017, a run of nine successive defeats.
That losing run was part of a wider pattern that saw Leeds lose 21 of 23 meetings with Saints in all competitions.
Last September's dramatic play-off defeat at Headingley when the Rhinos let victory slip in extraordinary fashion provided the clearest illustration of the hold St Helens have had over this fixture.
But under the lights on Thursday night, that long-standing hoodoo was finally broken.
The hard-fought win – confirmed in the dying minutes thanks to Maika Sivo's 22nd try of the season – takes the Rhinos two points clear of St Helens and Warrington Wolves at the top of Super League.
The last time Leeds beat Saints at home, they went on to win the title.
What was a hoodoo before kick-off may just have been replaced by an omen.
Brad Arthur's side were far from their dominant best, understandably so given the wider context, but they found a way to overturn a 16-8 half-time deficit and maintain their perfect home record in 2026.
For a while, it looked like another one of those nights for the Rhinos.
The first half perfectly illustrated their struggles against St Helens.
For all their effort and endeavour – led by man of the match Mikolaj Oledzki – the Rhinos toiled with the ball and too often looked vulnerable when Saints attacked.
Jake Connor got Leeds on the scoreboard with an early penalty but Saints quickly brought familiar doubt back to the surface.
Daryl Clark accelerated out of dummy-half and Alex Walmsley did the rest after pushing up in support.
On a night when Headingley celebrated the life of John Kear, it was fitting that one of his former proteges scored the opening try.
Saints were clinical in the opening 40 minutes but the cracks were still there for Leeds to exploit.
Unfortunately, the Rhinos floundered in good attacking positions in a flashback to last year's 6-0 home defeat to their rivals.
Leeds eventually made St Helens pay for errors and ill-discipline when Chris Hankinson cut back on the angle to take Connor's drop-off and mark his 100th Super League appearance with a try.
But having worked so hard for the breakthrough, the Rhinos were undone all too easily at the other end.
A high tackle by Kallum Watkins invited Saints in and they found a way through, Kyle Feldt stepping back inside to finish with Sivo out of position.
Just minutes after being taunted by Connor, the St Helens winger took great pleasure in returning fire.
Tristan Sailor nailed the touchline conversion and landed another blow on the stroke of half-time when he touched down Jack Welsby's kick.
The challenge facing Leeds at half-time was as much mental as physical – and the response was impressive.
Connor shifted the momentum with a sensational deep kick that forced Feldt to concede a drop-out, giving the Rhinos the lift they needed.
In the next set, Harry Newman ran a good line to storm over from Brodie Croft's cut-out pass.
Connor added the extras and stepped up again to level the scores from a penalty when Watkins was taken high.
Leeds had the wind in their sails but that does not always count for much in this fixture.
They eventually nudged themselves back in front thanks to Connor's third penalty and, perhaps more importantly, had a man advantage after David Klemmer was sin-binned for the late hit on Hankinson.
Nerves were inevitable given the mental baggage but they were banished when Connor and rookie full-back Fergie McCormack combined to put Sivo over in the corner.
Even Cameron Smith's last-minute yellow card for a professional foul could not take the shine off a win nine years in the making.
Leeds Rhinos: FMcCormack, Hall, Newman, Handley, Sivo, Croft, Connor, Oledzki, O'Connor, Jenkins, Hankinson, McDonnell, Watkins. Substitutes: Palasia, Levi, Smith, Cassell.
Tries: Hankinson (26), Newman (46), Sivo (77).
Goals: Connor 6/6.
Sin bin: Smith (80).
St Helens: Welsby, Feldt, Robertson, Percival, Sailor, Lomax, Whitby, Walmsley, Clark, Klemmer, Sironen, Whitley, Shorrocks. Substitutes: Wright, Delaney, Davies, Humphreys.
Tries: Walmsley (7), Feldt (30), Sailor (39).
Goals: Sailor 2/3.
Sin bin: Klemmer (73).
Referee: Jack Smith.