Leeds Rhinos 38 Widnes 28: Rhinos’ stunning resilience is brought to the fore

However, the world’s greatest winger will be the first to admit the foundation of this success – with 10 first-teamers absent through injury – was encouragingly built on the efforts of some of the club’s burgeoning youngsters and one comparitive veteran.

Brad Singleton, the 20-year-old Cumbrian prop making his first start, was a genuine force up front while Liam Sutcliffe, at just 18, showed real maturity at stand-off with captain Kevin Sinfield missing his first game in nearly three years due to a thumb injury which will sideline him for six weeks.

Another Academy product Paul McShane is now 23 but has never really cemented his place in the champions’ side.

However, last night the hooker’s intelligent kicking out of dummy-half was vital in Sinfield’s absence.

And then there was Rob Burrow, the six-time Grand Final winner who had to make do with 18th man duties for England but, in unpicking Widnes, once more showed his innate game-breaking class and organisational quality.

Zak Hardaker, one of four Leeds players backing up from that International Origin game, popped up on numerous occasions to add a little flair of his own and, more importantly, deliver some telling tackles at critical times.

He also kicked five goals from seven attempts as Leeds – who fell behind for the first and only time when Rhys Hanbury made it 22-18 in the 49th minute – demonstrated true grit and shrugged off another contentious Steve Ganson video referee decision to secure a victory that lifts them back up to fourth.

Any hopes Widnes may have had that injury-ravaged Leeds would be a little off-key were eroded in the game’s first set.

The forceful manner in which the hosts marched down field through Jamie Peacock – twice, inevitably – Ian Kirke and Singleton soon illustrated that there was no soft underbelly here.

Furthermore, the champions scored twice in the opening eight minutes to underline their intent.

Burrow has made a superb transition to hooker in the last few years where he is irrefutably dangerous and controlling but, having reverted to his traditional position of scrum-half in light of Leeds’s injuries, we were reminded that the livewire is even more threatening when he gets his hands on the ball at first receiver.

Standing 20m from the Widnes line, few players in Super League would have been able to step, beat the first defender, jink and then arc around a full-back of Hanbury’s calibre in the manner Burrow did for the game’s opening try.

It was a fitting way to break into the competition’s top try-scorers, drawing level in 10th spot with Bradford Bulls legend Lesley Vainikolo on 136 touchdowns.

Soon after, it was Burrow’s pinpoint crossfield kick which, with a little help from Jimmy Keinhorst, led to an equally fitting try for Ben Jones-Bishop who, having been diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism at Christmas, was making his first Leeds appearance since last year’s Grand Final.

Hardaker made it 12-0 but the home side were split down the middle from halfway – something that would happen more than once – to see Ben Kavanagh and Patrick Ah Van link for Joe Mellor to score the first of his two tries. Leeds immediately responded when Burrow got his second, latching onto a smooth break from Sutcliffe, who beat NRL-bound Gareth Hock with effortless ease.

Brian McDermott’s side offered Widnes another way back in, though, when Kirke proved sloppy and Mellor picked up to race 80m and impressively hold off a despairing Joel Moon.

When they were sliced open through their heart straight after, Kevin Brown finishing off another break, Jack Owens’s third conversion left it 18-18 at the break.

Hanbury then gave Widnes the advantage but the tireless Jamie Jones-Buchanan, one of those who played for England on Friday, levelled on 53 minutes.

Burrow had almost put Richard Moore clear with a smart inside pass but, regardless, Jones-Buchanan got them in as he bustled his way to dummy half and quickly bustled his way over.

Hardaker’s fourth goal put Leeds ahead before Jordan Baldwinson – the 18-year-old prop making his debut – arrived into the fray and drove Widnes back further with his first carry. Another high Burrow kick then saw Moon and Hardaker combine before McShane’s long pass sent Hall in for his 150th try in Leeds colours.

He got his 151st soon after following an exquisite flick pass from Moon and that proved enough to see Leeds home.

Hanbury pushed off Keinhorst to scamper 80m down the touchline for his second, Owens curling over the touchline conversion, but Sutcliffe then evaded Kavanagh’s swinging arm to twist over for his first senior try.

For all Leeds’s injury woes, they did still start the game with five full internationals and had eight Grand Final winners in their ranks.

Nevertheless, this was impressive stuff.

Leeds Rhinos: Hardaker; Jones-Bishop, Keinhorst, Moon, Hall; Sutcliffe, Burrow; Kirke, McShane, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Clarkson, Singleton. Substitutes: Moore, Baldwinson, Minns, Achurch.

Widnes: Hanbury; Owens, Isa, Marsh, Ah Van; Brown, Mellor; Pickersgill, Clarke, O’Carroll, Hock, Allen, Cahill. Substitutes: Winterstein, Leuluai, Kavanagh, White.

Referee: Phil Bentham (Warrington).