Salford 8 Leeds Rhinos 22: Harry Newman is at the centre of Rhinos’ victory

For example, Leeds Rhinos’ partnership with Featherstone Rovers allowed youngster Harry Newman to learn his trade at a good standard, outside the week-in, week-out pressure of Super League.

The first player born this century to play in the top-flight when he made his Leeds debut in 2017, Newman scored 16 tries in 12 games for Rovers in the Championship two years ago, earning comparisons with one of Featherstone’s most famous centre products Paul Newlove.

Promoted to Leeds’ side early last season, Newman was a Super League young player of the year nominee and earned an England Knights cap last autumn and, judging by the way he has started the current campaign, full Test honours lie ahead.

Having played on the right-wing during Rhinos’ Super League round one defeat by Hull, Newman was man of the match at centre in the 52-10 thrashing of Hull KR and stood out again two days ago when Leeds battled back to win 22-8 at Salford Red Devils.

It was an unlikely victory, based on Leeds’ first half performance when they failed to come to terms with either the conditions or opposition.

Newman was the only Rhinos player to catch the eye in the opening 40 minutes, largely for his physicality and strong running.

He maintained that in the second period and had more opportunity to show off his skills, hoisting out a pass for his winger Luke Briscoe, a team-mate at Featherstone in 2018, to score the try which edged Leeds ahead.

Newman turned 20 last week. Full-back Jack Walker, whose touchdown put the result beyond doubt, is a similar age while another try scorer, replacement prop Mikolaj Oledzki, is 21, as are starting loose-forward Cameron Smith and substitute centre/second-rower Alex Sutcliffe

Though they won the title in 2017, Rhinos have not coped well with the break up of their golden generation which began two years earlier, but their production line seems to be getting back into gear at last and with some older heads, including off-season signings Gale and Matt Prior, showing good form, Leeds look in better shape than at this stage of recent seasons.

It is still early days, but back-to-back wins have been rare for Leeds over the past couple of years and the victory at Salford displayed contrasting characteristics to Rhinos’ success eight days earlier.

The win over Hull KR was built on flair, but Leeds had to dig deep at AJ Bell Stadium.

They were second-best in the first half to a Salford team who handled the stormy conditions better, spilling the ball from the kick-off, making a series of errors trying to come away from their own line and lacking any threat with a misdirected kicking game.

A try out of the blue, though, on the stroke of half-time when Brad Dwyer created an opening for Luke Gale, gave Leeds a lifeline after Niall Evalds and Tui Lolohea had seemingly put the hosts in control.

Once Leeds had withstood some heavy pressure at the start of the second period, they dominated. They cut out the errors, took their chances when they came and coped much better in defence. As well as the youngsters did, the double introduction of experienced duo Richie Myler and Adam Cuthbertson helped turn the game.

Myler, playing as back-up hooker this season after losing his half-back spot to Gale, helped force a somewhat controversial drop out which set up the field position for Briscoe’s well-taken try; then Cuthbertson’s offload sent Oledzki over.

Gale converted Leeds’ first and third tries and added a penalty, then Rhinos defended five penalties near their own line before Ava Seumanufagai pounced on a loose pass, Konrad Hurrell and Ash Handley led the counter-attack and Walker went over to seal it.

Leeds were opened up too easily by Hull in their opening round game, but have conceded just two tries in each of the following matches and run in 13 tries themselves.

Warrington Wolves will offer a sterner test this week, but – while Grand Final contention appears to be some way off – the flair and toughness shown in the past two games bodes well for coach Richard Agar’s side.

Salford Red Devils: Evalds, Sio, Welham, Inu, Williams, Lolohea, Atkin, Yates, Jones, Dudson, Roberts, Pauli, McCarthy. Subs Lannon, Flanagan, Ikahihifo, Lussick.

Leeds Rhinos: Walker, L Briscoe, Newman, Hurrell, Handley, Lui, Gale, Seumanufagai, Dwyer, Prior, Mellor, Donaldson, Smith. Subs Oledzki, A Sutcliffe, Myler, Cuthbertson.

Referee: M Griffiths (Widnes).