St Helens 4 Leeds Rhinos 17: Brad Arthur's men show both sides of game to down rivals

Leeds Rhinos were not in a position to be fussy ahead of their Magic Weekend clash with St Helens having lost 18 of the previous 19 meetings with their old Grand Final foes.

The Rhinos started with a flourish, scoring two early tries through Riley Lumb and Lachie Miller to threaten the type of emphatic victory their supporters have been craving against a team that appeared to be there for the taking.

St Helens are a fading force under Paul Wellens but Leeds gave their rivals encouragement by matching their errors in a low-quality contest that was a world away from the memorable Old Trafford bouts between the fallen heavyweights.

Matt Whitley's early second-half try left the Rhinos facing a character test after snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in recent games against Warrington Wolves and Hull KR.

It was not picture-perfect by any means but Leeds dug deep in defence to see out a precious victory in the context of the Super League season, not just their rivalry with Saints.

The Rhinos benefited from Lewis Murphy's controversial sin-binning, the former Wakefield Trinity winger penalised for a knee to the head of Alfie Edgell following a remarkable leap as they challenged for a high kick.

But Leeds were good value for the result, landing the final blow in the closing stages when Morgan Gannon touched down, a special moment at the end of a testing period for the NRL-bound youngster.

While the performance was not the sort to unnerve leading contenders Wigan Warriors and Hull KR, there was plenty to admire in the Rhinos' approach.

Leeds head into the latest two-week Challenge Cup break in a strong position in the top six, with plenty of room for improvement.

After a conservative start to the campaign, there have been signs that Brad Arthur has let the shackles off in the last two games.

Leeds made their intentions clear just three minutes in and were rewarded for their enterprise, Lumb benefiting from a perfect bounce to finish Gannon's improvised kick after the back-rower had been put into space by Ash Handley.

Buoyed by the early success, the Rhinos continued to give the ball air with Miller particularly expansive.

The energetic full-back injected himself into proceedings at every opportunity and found himself in the right place to finish another flowing move and leave Leeds in dreamland after 15 minutes.

Edgell – in for the injured Ryan Hall – found himself in open field and the young winger kept his composure to give Miller a clear run to the line.

Miller improved his own try to give Leeds a 10-0 advantage – but their attacking fluency deserted them from that point on.

Lumb had the opportunity to end Saints' challenge before it had even started after finding himself in space again, only to be denied by Tristan Sailor's last-ditch tackle.

The youngster made up for his unconvincing finish by helping to bundle Jon Bennison into touch the one time St Helens made their way into Leeds territory.

Miller missed the chance to extend the Rhinos' lead when he sent a penalty wide before Wellens summoned Jonny Lomax from the bench on the half-hour mark.

After continuing to huff and puff without success, Saints were booed off following a half littered with fundamental errors.

Whether it was that scathing assessment by their own fans or some stern words from Wellens, St Helens improved enough after the interval to get themselves back into the game.

Gannon conceded a penalty for a ruck infringement to invite them in and he was punished, Whitley brushing off a soft attempt by Jake Connor and dummying Miller to get Saints on the board.

Leeds appeared to be wobbling when Sailor threatened a breakaway try after intercepting Connor's pass, a sense reinforced by a string of sloppy errors in their own territory.

The Rhinos demonstrated their newfound steel to defend those mistakes and had a man advantage following Murphy's yellow card.

Jack Sinfield slotted a drop goal almost immediately to give Leeds a two-score lead that they would not relinquish.

Lumb and Deon Cross both had tries ruled out before Gannon forced his way over to complete a satisfying win for the Rhinos.

St Helens: Sailor, Bennison, Cross, Percival, Murphy, Welsby, Whitby, Paasi, Mbye, Lees, Sironen, Whitley, Knowles. Substitutes: Lomax, Walmsley, Clark, Delaney.

Tries: Whitley (47)

Goals: Whitby 0/1

Sin bin: Murphy (61)

Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Lumb, Newman, Handley, Edgell, Sinfield, Connor, Oledzki, O'Connor, Palasia, Gannon, McDonnell, Watkins. Substitutes: Bentley, Lisone, Holroyd, Jenkins.

Tries: Lumb (3), Miller (14), Gannon (77)

Goals: Miller 2/4

Drop goal: Sinfield (62)

Referee: Jack Smith.