Owen Dagnall scored St Helens' second try of the game against Leeds Rhinos Betfred Super League St Helens (8) 18 Tries:Cross, Dagnall, SailorGoals:Feldt 3 Leeds Rhinos (0) 4 Tries:Lumb St Helens took full advantage of a sloppy Leeds Rhinos performance to claim a deserved Super League victory. Kyle Feldt kicked two penalty goals for the home side in the opening 25 minutes before Deon Cross extended Saints' advantage by darting over for the game's first try on the stroke of half-time. Leeds improved after the break and brought themselves back into the contest when Riley Lumb went over in the corner for his 10th try of the season. However, a string of handling errors in stifling heat limited the Rhinos' momentum, and tries from Owen Dagnall and Tristan Sailor guaranteed the points for an injury-hit Saints side. Leeds stay third in the table on 20 points after their first defeat in six, while St Helens are fifth, two points behind. Rhinos won 17-4 when the sides met last month, but they were below par from the off in Lancashire. Feldt's two penalty goals came after Harry Newman committed a high tackle and James Bentley strayed offside, and those infringements were reflective of an error-strewn first period from Brad Arthur's side. Leeds' one real opportunity in the first half came via a Ryan Hall interception, but the veteran winger was halted by a superb tackle by player-of-the-match Harry Robertson. And when Leeds coughed up possession in their own 20 not long after, Sailor released Cross, whose clever show-and-go deceived Hall and provided a clear path to the line. Half-time offered much-needed respite for Rhinos, who came out with more intensity at the start of the second half. They came back into the contest after a magnificent Lachie Miller break - the Australian full-back evading several tackles before moving the ball out wide, where Lumb dotted down. Jarrod O'Connor went close for Leeds with a darting effort, and as the game opened up, the momentum swung back and forth before St Helens delivered a telling blow. Off the back of a scrum, deft hands from Jonny Lomax and Sailor put Dagnall into space. He stepped off his left foot to score his second try in two starts and Feldt converted to make it a 10-point lead. Leeds - who completed just 69% of their sets and made 16 errors - never truly looked like bridging that gap. Sailor made sure for Saints when he burst through a gap in the final stages to make it 18-4. Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur told BBC Radio Leeds: "There's too many things we got wrong. When you talk about all the simple things we got wrong it comes back to one thing - attitude. "They had a better attitude towards getting the simple things right and build a game. We probably wanted to get a quick win, I reckon. "We trained OK in the week. Sometimes you have those days. Unfortunately, you don't get those 80 minutes back and you have to live with it. The only thing that matters now is how we respond to it. "If you want to get to the top, the top teams roll their sleeves up and bring their best physicality and effort each week. "We got ourselves back to 8-4, but it didn't feel likely [that we could win]. It felt like they were working harder than us. We're disappointed, but we need to move on." St Helens:Sailor, Feldt, Robertson, Cross, Dagnall, Lomax, Mbye, Walmsley, Clark, Lees, Wingfield, Whitley, Knowles. Interchanges: Paasi, Delaney, Stephens, Burns. Leeds Rhinos:Miller, Hall, Newman, Handley, Lumb, Connor, Croft, Palasia, O'Connor, Oledski, McDonnell, Gannon, Watkins. Interchanges:Lisone, Holroyd, Bentley, Smith Referee:Jack Smith.
Clinical St Helens punish sloppy Leeds
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"St Helens Defeats Leeds Rhinos in Betfred Super League Showdown"
Bbc News
8.1
TruthLens AI Summary
In a decisive Betfred Super League clash, St Helens capitalized on a disjointed performance from Leeds Rhinos to secure an 18-4 victory. The match showcased St Helens' ability to exploit their opponents' mistakes, starting with two penalty goals from Kyle Feldt in the early minutes. As the first half progressed, Deon Cross scored the first try just before halftime, expanding the Saints' lead. Despite Leeds' efforts to regroup in the second half, highlighted by Riley Lumb's try, they struggled to maintain momentum due to numerous handling errors and a lack of cohesion. The Rhinos, who were previously on a five-match winning streak, found themselves outplayed and unable to capitalize on their scoring opportunities, ultimately allowing St Helens to pull away in the closing stages of the match.
The second half saw Leeds attempt to mount a comeback, spurred on by a notable break from Lachie Miller that led to Lumb's try. However, St Helens quickly responded with a try from Owen Dagnall, following clever play from Jonny Lomax and Tristan Sailor. Dagnall's score, along with Sailor's late try, sealed the game for St Helens, who are now just two points behind Leeds in the standings. Leeds' head coach, Brad Arthur, lamented the team's performance, emphasizing the need for improved attitude and execution in future matches. He acknowledged that while they managed to close the gap to 8-4, it felt as though St Helens were always one step ahead, showcasing a greater work ethic and determination throughout the game. The result leaves Leeds third in the Super League table, while St Helens continues to build momentum as they seek to climb higher in the rankings.
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