Super League Verdict: Leeds Rhinos displayed understandable signs of rust in St Helens defeat

Coach Brian McDermott’s frustrated side lost out at St Helens in an absorbing, enthralling if unspectacular contest to kick off the campaign.

In the end, Mark Percival’s conversion of man-of-the-match Theo Fages’s 43rd-minute try proved the only difference as battling Saints showed remarkable resilience to edge home.

Leeds, who led 4-0 at the break following Joel Moon’s 20th-minute try, were without captain Danny McGuire, who failed to recover from a quad injury in time for opening night, meaning Liam Sutcliffe came in at stand-off.

However, it is hard to say whether their veteran former Great Britain international would have made the difference last night.

They turned down a kickable penalty seconds before the break in favour of going for a try, a decision which backfired.

Few, though, could have thought then that the visitors would not score again.

Admittedly, Leeds had a glorious chance to respond when Kallum Watkins found some rare space down the right to cruise clear, but, having drawn the last line of defence, the supporting Sutcliffe was dragged down just short following Tommy Makinson’s brilliant cover tackle.

McDermott’s side did not enjoy many other clear-cut opportunities, though, and, indeed, it was Saints who went closest to extending their lead.

Danny Richardson, a teenage half-back starting for the injured England scrum-half Matty Smith, produced a lovely inside pass for Makinson to speed through a gaping hole in Leeds’s middle.

However, Ashton Golding – who had a fine game at full-back – did just enough to deny him and then Adam Swift, the Saints winger who endured a torrid error-prone night, failed to latch onto Fages’s grubber when the Rhinos’ defence was all at sea.

Leeds thought they had worked their way back in it again when Sutcliffe broke clear and chipped over Makinson to score.

But he was hauled back for a forward pass from Stevie Ward and, so, the Rhinos were left pointless.

It had been a curious first half for the side that finished last year in the Qualifiers, too.

After an initially bright start, Saints’ ball control was abysmal as they continually spilled coming out of their own half.

It gifted the visitors a weight of quality possession yet they could do little to break down their dogged opponents and they mustered just a solitary try. This was Moon’s effort as the centre showed great strength to hold Rhys Morgan at bay, find the corner and cross for the first score of the new Super League season; Sutcliffe missed the conversion.

Here, probably, is the reason for Leeds’s failure to profit more – it is a new a season and, understandably, combinations and interplay was not as slick as you would normally expect.

Furthermore, for all their woeful handling, Saints did defend their errors well while, in fairness, despite their own limited chances, they probably created the best other openings of the first period.

Dominique Peyroux and Makinson both got over the Leeds goalline, but they could not also get over Golding who each time held the Saints attacker up to prevent a try being scored.

It will have done the 20-year-old the world of good as he looks to make his own mark on the No 1 shirt he has taken following 2015 Man of Steel Zak Hardaker’s season-long loan move to Castleford Tigers.

Many wondered, for all his offensive skills, whether the sleight rookie had the physical strength to survive in Super League, but here, with those tackles in the fifth and 37th minutes, he emphatically demonstrated he does.

Saints also saw another opportunity go begging when the luckless Swift rose above Tom Briscoe to collect Fages’s high kick, but they fumbled as he came back down towards the line.

Nevertheless, Saints took the lead just three minutes into the second period.

They had already gone close, barely 90 seconds having been played when video referee ruled Anthony Mullally’s legs had stopped Alex Walmsley from touching down.

But there was no denying them soon after when, with veteran hooker James Roby having brought all his pace around the ruck, France stand-off Fages got on the outside of Ward to slide over from close range, Percival converting.

Saints lost England full-back Jonny Lomax to concussion in the first half, but they were undeterred.

Burrow probed away for Leeds looking for some inspiration and debutant hooker Matt Parcell showed some nice touches

But too often Rhinos lacked precision, four times getting caught on the last tackle.

St Helens: Lomax; Makinson, Morgan, Percival, Swift; Fages, Richardson; Amor, Lee, Douglas, Greenwood, Peyroux, Wilkin. Substitutes: Walmsley, Roby, Thompson, Knowles.

Leeds Rhinos: Golding; Briscoe, Watkins, Moon, Hall; Sutcliffe, Burrow; Garbutt, Parcell, Cuthbertson, Jones-Buchanan, Ablett, Singleton. Substitutes: Ward, Keinhorst, Mullally, Baldwinson.

Referee: Phil Bentham (Warrington).