Video - Leeds Rhinos 4 North Queensland Cowboys 38 - Mitch Garbutt sees red as Rhinos crash to Johnathan Thurston-inspired Cowboys

The Super League champions, missing so many first-team players due to injury, were never realistically given a hope of defeating their Australian counterparts North Queensland Cowboys at Headingley last night.

However, when they were level 4-4 at the break following a determined, efficient and promising 40 minutes, there was suddenly genuine hope Brian McDermott’s side, featuring 19-year-old half-back Jordan Lilley in only his sixth senior game, could push on to achieve something truly special. And save Super League’s embarrassment.

Instead, though, the NRL Grand Final winners scored within 59 seconds of the restart and never looked back, scoring a further five unanswered tries to leave the West Yorkshire side floored and Super League on the end of a second successive 3-0 World Club Series whitewash.

Indeed, the only time out-played Leeds’s fans were able to cheer in that second period, when the world’s best player Johnathan Thurston took complete control behind his dominant pack, was, bizarrely, when their own side went down to 12 men.

Mitch Garbutt became only the second player in World Club Challenge history to be sent off, the first being Ronnie ‘Rambo’ Gibbs, the former Castleford second-row when playing for Manly against Wigan in 1987.

This red-card came in the 71st minute for flooring James Tamou after the Cowboys’ Kangaroos prop had hit Leeds’s Keith Galloway at a play-the-ball.

Garbutt’s response was swift –Leeds certainly fans appreciated him sticking up for his colleague – while Tamou received a bloody nose and yellow card for his own temerity.

Nevertheless, the visitors, who lift their maiden World Club Challenge and denied Rhinos a record fourth title, showed their own resilience and desire when, with the game already long sewn up, somehow stopping Josh Walters as the young forward seemed destined to crash over.

Leeds, though, bottom of Super League and still awaiting a first win this year, deserve credit.

From the moment Adam Cuthbertson offloaded twice in the very first set, you sensed they would not die wondering.

They were positive and vibrant in their play immediately, the back three of Ryan Hall, Zak Hardaker and Ash Handley returning everything Golden Boot winner Thurston kicked at them, but their props Garbutt and Cuthbertson really powerful up front, too.

Liam Sutcliffe and his young half-back partner Lilley controlled play well and Leeds rarely looked too threatened.

Rob Burrow delivered a huge downfield kick that rallied them further, Hall forced his way back out from behind his own line at one point with a typically surging run and Leeds almost scored first.

Garbutt and Brad Singleton were both held up over the Cowboys line as the hosts looked to fashion out some success yet it was the visitors who scored first Thurston, typically, laying a try on for Michael Morgan with a pinpoint pass in the 22nd minute.

Sutcliffe lifted Leeds when he intercepted Thurston’s pass and raced 50m. He was hauled in but Burrow played a one-two with the offloading Cuthbertson to dive over for what would amount to their sole try in the 31st minute.,

They defended their line heroically for three sets just before the break, giving further credence to the belief they could push on and deliver a shock triumph.

However, Leeds suffered the worst possible start to the second period when Handley, the 20-year-old who had been playing for Featherstone Rovers the week before, dropped Thurston’s hanging kick, allowing Kane Linnett to mop up and score.

Thurston improved, the first of his five conversions, and, crucially, the Australians secured their third try not long after. Galloway was penalised for a high shot in front of his own posts but the Cowboys opted against the easy points and their positivity reaped dividends.

Morgan’s long cut-out pass found Kyle Feldt, the winger who did what very few wingers ever does – swatted off England star Hall to scramble over in the corner.

Lilley must have thought he had sliced over for a dream try when he dummied over the line just before the hour – only for Lachlan Coote to miraculously swing him right back from whence he came, once more illustrating the visitors’ strength.

Instead, it was the Cowboys full-back who scored at the other end soon after when collecting Thurston’s grubber that ricocheted wickedly off Sutcliffe’s leg.

There was some debate as to whether he kept control but the officials probably got it right.

From there, you always feared for the home side, missing seven players and bereft of any real strike options off the bench.

Those fears came true as Thurston slipped Kallum Watkins’s weak tackle to score, before Justin O’Neill crossed for two further Cowboys tries.

Leeds Rhinos: Hardaker, Handley, Watkins, Moon, Hall, Sutcliffe, Lilley, Galloway, Burrow, Cuthbertson, Delaney, Ferres, Singleton. Substitutes: Mullally, Garbutt, Keinhorst, Walters.

North Queensland: Coote, Feldt, O’Neill, Linnett, Winterstein, Morgan, Thurston, Scott, Granville, Tamou, Cooper, Lowe, Taumalolo. Substitutes: Kostjasyn, Asiata, Bolton, Hannant.

Referee: R Silverwood (RFL).