RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Tries: Connor 2, Oledzki, Holroyd, McDonnell, Newman, Croft, Lumb Goals: Connor 7
Leeds Rhinos maintained their two-point cushion at the Super League summit as they thrashed a depleted Toulouse side 46-0 at Headingley.
Jake Connor lit up a stodgy first half, scoring the opener and teeing up Mikolaj Oledzki before his interception laid the foundations for Tom Holroyd's score shortly before half-time.
The table-toppers looked sharper after the break with James McDonnell, Harry Newman and Connor's second taking Rhinos 34 points clear.
Brodie Croft and Riley Lumb crossed in the final quarter, while Connor capped an impressive display with seven goals from eight attempts to finish with 22 points.
A 10th win from 10 on home turf this season keeps Leeds ahead of second-placed Wigan after their victory at Leigh.
Ruthless Wigan seize on Leigh errors to go second
Ned McCormack was denied a sixth-minute score for Leeds in a stop-start opening when video referee Liam Rush spotted Chris Hankinson's knock-on.
But the Rhinos had the lead after 12 minutes when Connor dummied and cut back inside to score following Lumb's break.
Super League's leading points scorer this season was involved again as he teed up Oledzki to power over from close range.
Without injured playmaker Olly Ashall-Bott and fielding six academy graduates, Toulouse could not capitalise on good positions, with Tiaki Chan's surge halted five metres short after Luke Polselli's brilliant one-handed offload.
And Leeds pulled further clear when Presley Cassell's fine offload gave Holroyd a simple finish under the posts.
The hosts began the second half with more intent and within minutes, quick ball through the hands saw Croft send in McDonnell for his fifth try in three games.
Holroyd was held up over the line, while last-ditch defence denied Jarrod O'Connor and Lumb as Toulouse, to their credit, continued to fight.
But the incessant pressure told when Newman, playing just his third game on the wing in place of the injured Maika Sivo , went in at the right corner.
Connor, the 2025 Man of Steel, leapt high to grab Lachlan Miller's pinpoint kick under the posts and register his second score.
With the game long since won, Leeds rang the changes but still pressed for more.
Croft sniped through a gap for his 24th Super League try of the season, and Lumb finished in the left corner, before Connor's touchline conversion typified a clinical all-round display from the leaders.
Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur told BBC Radio Leeds:
"It's the closest we've got to 80 minutes. I was pretty pleased with that performance. I thought we showed good resilience, good fight, the attitude was really good, too.
"I asked the boys for a bit extra tonight in their effort and physicality and they delivered.
"I thought the opposition were really good early, they made us fight and we were probably fortunate to go in [at half-time] at 18-0, but that's exactly what we needed.
"Our resilience before half-time and then even at the end of the game on the try line, just to keep turning up for each other, and that's an attitude thing, so I was really pleased with that."
Leeds: Miller; Lumb, McCormack, Bird, Newman; Croft, Connor; Oledzki, O'Connor, Jenkins, Hankinson, McDonnell, Watkins.
Interchanges: Smith, Lloyd, Cassell, Holroyd.
Toulouse: Polselli; Laguerre, Tropis, Quai-Ward, Ulberg; Collin, Rouge; Butler, Marion, Belmas, O'Kane, Jassaume, Cator.
Interchanges: Garrigues, Chan, Toleafoa, Wallace.
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