Salford 18 Leeds Rhinos 28: Veteran Peacock defies the years to lead Rhinos to victory

he may be 37 and in the final year of his playing career, but Jamie Peacock still exerts a huge influence for Leeds Rhinos.
Jamie Peacock crosses for LeedsJamie Peacock crosses for Leeds
Jamie Peacock crosses for Leeds

Peacock scored two tries and played the first 72 minutes of yesterday’s 28-18 win over Salford Red Devils, despite carrying a back injury which coach Brian McDermott said should have ruled him out of the game.

In terrible conditions – a gale force wind and driving rain – Peacock’s go-forward was a crucial component of Leeds’s fifth successive victory, which maintained their four-point lead on the First Utility Super League table.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“He probably shouldn’t have played,” McDermott revealed afterwards.

“It’s a funny one, because while he will get a lot of plaudits for doing 70 minutes, had we taken him off after 25-30 he would probably have seized up and not gone back on, so we had to keep him out there.”

McDermott was happier with the result than his team’s performance, but felt some individuals produced outstanding displays in Leeds’s third game in 10 days.

“Stevie Ward again was massive for us,” he said. “So was Ash Handley.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“He is getting challenged by a few teams because he is young and a few of the teams are testing him out with kicks, but he has answered every single one of them and thrown a bit back as well.”

McDermott added: “I didn’t think it was a terrible performance from us as a team, but especially in the second half I thought we played a bit too carefree.

“Salford are missing some troops and some very important people in their team and that probably saved us a little bit, but they didn’t give up.

“They kept challenging us. If we’re going to play like we did in the second half we needed to be three tries in front, not just 10 points.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Peacock scored Leeds’s first two tries as the visitors defied the gale gusting into their faces to take a 16-12 interval lead.

The former England captain opened the scoring on 16 minutes, off Rob Burrow’s pass and then touched down from Paul Aiton’s grubber kick after Salford had moved 12-6 in front.

Lama Tasi and the hosts’ impressive full-back Niall Evalds scored back-to-back tries for the hosts, but Handley touched down Hardaker’s grubber to ensure Leeds led at the half-time break.

Burrow crossed early in the second half, but Salford hit back through Evalds after a brilliant take from a kick by Michael Dobson.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The latter added his third conversion, before Hardaker scooted over from acting half and Kevin Sinfield’s fourth goal completed the scoring at the end of the third quarter.

Salford Red Devils: Evalds, Jones-Bishop, Caton-Brown, Sa’u, Johnson, Fages, Dobson, Taylor, Hood, Morley, Hansen, Walton, Forster. Substitutes: Lannon, D Griffin, Tasi, Gee.

Leeds Rhinos: Hardaker, Handley, Ablett, Moon, Golding, McGuire, Burrow, Singleton, Aiton, Peacock, Achurch, S Ward, Sinfield. Substitutes: Delaney, Sutcliffe, Cuthbertson, Yates.

Referee: M Thomason (Warrington).