Salford Red Devils 14 Leeds Rhinos 16: ‘Gritty’ win delights Rohan Smith

Since losing in embarrassing fashion at bottom club Wakefield Trinity last month, which was their sixth defeat in seven league and cup matches, Rhinos have picked up three successive wins, something they previously achieved in September, 2022.

After an outstanding attacking display to beat Huddersfield Giants and comprehensively out-playing Warrington Wolves, Leeds had to dig deep for their 16-14 win at Salford.

It felt like a potentially pivotal moment in Rhinos’ campaign. The result lifted coach Rohan Smith’s side a place to seventh in Super League and they are just two points behind Salford who hold the final play-off spot.

When Salford turned a 12-4 interval deficit into a two-point lead with half an hour remaining, the gap on the ladder looked like becoming six with just nine rounds left.

But Leeds, who admittedly rode their luck at times, stuck to their task and two penalty goals turned the game on its head.

It was a contest either team could have won, but Smith felt his side deserved to come out on top.

He said: “It was pleasing to find a way to win in a good, hard battle which could have gone either way.

“Salford are a quality team who ask a lot of questions of your defensive line. I was really pleased with the way we stuck together at the back end.

“We held our nerve, we played together and I think we deserved that win. It was a good, gritty hang in there-type performance across the board.”

Rhinos were without suspended stand-off Blake Austin, but made light of that early on, going 6-0 ahead through a superb individual try by loose-forward Cameron Smith, which Rhyse Martin converted..

Salford hit back via Tim Lafai, from a kick by Brodie Croft, but in-form winger Ash Handley replied with his 99th Super League try and a Martin penalty goal sent Leeds in two scores clear at the interval.

Handley has crossed four times during Leeds’ winning run, but his strong carries from near Rhinos’ line have been just as influential.

The Croft-Lafai combination struck again in the first set of the second period, with a near-identical try to their opener.

Ryan Brierley tagged on the two and then Ken Sio crossed from another kick by the home side’s stand-off.

Rhinos prop Mikolaj Oledzki and Salford substitute Chris Atkin were sin-binned following a set-to with 16 minutes left and the visitors were more composed when down to 12.

They equalised with a penalty following a high tackle and then a superb chase from Aidan Sezer’s kick trapped Brierley behind his line, Marc Sneyd sent the drop out into touch on the full and Martin took the two to complete the scoring.

Leeds won nine of their 11 games last year, a run which began around this time in the season, but Smith insisted he doesn’t see a comparison, claiming his side are “further ahead as an actual footy team” than 12 months ago.

Of the importance of Sunday’s result, he stressed: “They all feel like big wins in my head; every one of them.

“We have had some tough periods this season, but we’ve never been that far off the mark. We are in a little patch of finding a way, but it counts for nothing on Friday - it is on again and Hull KR are going to be desperate.”

Salford Red Devils: Brierley, Sio, Cross, Lafai, Burgess, Croft, Sneyd, Ormondroyd, Ackers, Gerrard, Addy, Hellewell, Partington. Subs Vuniyayawa, Atkin, Dupree, Costello.

Leeds Rhinos: Myler, Handley, Martin, Macdonald, Fusitu'a, Johnson, Sezer, Oledzki, O'Connor, Walters, Bentley, McDonnell, Smith. Subs Lisone, Donaldson, Holroyd, Roberts.

Referee: Aaron Moore (Wigan).