Warrington Wolves 6 Leeds Rhinos 22: Rohan Smith's side gaining momentum at right time

The Rhinos were four points adrift of the top six going into the round 17 fixture at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and long odds for a return to Old Trafford.

Rohan Smith's underachieving side found themselves in a similar position last season before clicking into gear to win nine of their last 11 games.

Fresh from seeing his team dismiss Huddersfield Giants with consummate ease, Smith spoke bullishly about Leeds' play-off prospects.

"I've got a lot of belief in this group and that hasn't changed at any point this season," he said.

"There's a lot of talent and belief in the group, possibly even more so than last year."

On the evidence of a convincing win over Warrington Wolves, the Australian may be on to something.

As poor as the faltering Wolves were, Leeds produced another clinical display to put themselves in the top-six conversation.

The Rhinos have struggled for consistency all year but are starting to look more like the team that made a late charge for the Grand Final in 2022.

Hammered 42-10 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium in round one, Leeds were never in danger of losing on their return to the ground and appear to be going in a different direction to the Wire who have now lost five of their last six games.

The Rhinos raced into a 16-0 lead inside the opening quarter, Ash Handley scoring two tries in a repeat of last year's thumping win in Warrington's backyard.

Although Leeds could not put the Wolves to the sword in the same way, they suddenly have a spring in their step.

In the one-sided rout in February, Warrington blitzed the Rhinos on their way to a 30-0 half-time lead but it was a role reversal on Thursday night.

Leeds came flying out of the blocks and quickly turned the home fans against their side.

It took the Rhinos just six minutes to break the deadlock with former Wire half-back Blake Austin front and centre as he picked up where he left off at Headingley last week.

The Australian found a hole in Warrington's right-edge defence, Aidan Sezer raced through in support and Sam Walters did the rest to make it three tries in two games after breaking his 2023 duck against Huddersfield.

Warrington got a first look at the Leeds line after Sezer and David Fusitu'a got in each other's way from the restart but they lacked direction and soon found themselves being rolled downfield.

A set that began with a series of powerful runs ended with Handley diving over from Richie Myler's cut-out pass.

With blood in the water, Leeds went for the kill and were almost out of sight when Handley made it a quickfire double to spark loud boos from the home crowd.

The Rhinos sensed another opportunity on their left edge on the last tackle and executed the play to perfection once again, Cameron Smith's long pass giving Rhyse Martin enough time and space to put Handley over.

When Martin added the extras from the touchline, Leeds were well on course for two precious points.

The Rhinos survived another Warrington raid on the back of a Josh Drinkwater 40/20 and had the chance to put their hosts to bed after Sam Kasiano saw yellow for a shoulder charge on Handley.

Neat grubber kicks from Sezer and Myler forced drop-outs but Leeds were denied a fourth try by the video referee, Austin adjudged to have benefited from an obstruction on his way to the line.

Warrington became increasingly rudderless as half-time approached with their last-tackle plays particularly poor.

The home side almost had a lifeline against the run of play, James McDonnell coming up with a big tackle to deny Matty Ashton a clear run to the line after the Wire winger intercepted a Sezer pass.

The interval gave Daryl Powell the chance to dust off his hairdryer but the expected storm did not materialise.

One Matt Dufty grubber kick aside that forced a drop-out, Leeds comfortably soaked up the early pressure and threatened a breakaway try following a break by Martin, only for the centre to be crowded out.

For the best part of an hour, the Rhinos were one score away from putting the game out of Warrington's reach but they could not land a decisive blow and were left sweating over the outcome after seeing Ashton go over in the corner 17 minutes from time.

The momentum was with the Wire and the home fans had the scent of an unlikely comeback.

But a knock-on by Joe Philbin deep in Leeds territory ended Warrington's hopes and the Rhinos put the hosts out of their misery when Myler finished a fine set move that involved front-rowers Sam Lisone and Walters.

Warrington Wolves: Thewlis, Russell, Mata'utia, Ratchford, Ashton, Dufty, Drinkwater, Dudson, Clark, Vaughan, Currie, A Holroyd, Philbin. Substitutes: Kasiano, Walker, Bullock, Wrench.

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

Referee: Chris Kendall.