RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 3 sourcesBetfred Super League
Leeds (14) 16
Tries: Hall, Croft Goals: Connor 4
Leigh (14) 20
Tries: Charnley, Senior 2, Hanley Goals: Cook 2
A heroic Leigh Leopards rearguard action saw them ruin Leeds Rhinos' 100% home record in Super League this season and pick up a vital two points in their hunt for a top-six spot.
Innes Senior scored two tries in the first half for the visitors but it was their defensive efforts after the break which caught the eye, limiting Leeds to just two points after half-time, and underlining the progress they have made under coach Adrian Lam.
On a balmy August evening, Leeds dominated the ball and the territory but were unable to break down the Leopards. Defeat means Wigan can go level on points with Leeds at the top of the table if they beat Bradford Bulls on Saturday.
Ryan Hall - who scored two minutes into his return from injury - looked to have been the hero late on for Leeds but his second try was chalked off after his trailing foot was adjudged to have been in touch.
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Just two minutes in, a high kick from Lachie Miller was spilled by Umyla Hanley straight to Jake Connor who fired the ball out left for Hall to dot down following a month out on the sidelines as Connor nailed the extras from touch.
Hanley made amends for that error moments later when he powered through on the right edge before finding Josh Charnley who used all his experience to score the 280th Super League try of his career to help the scores.
Leeds nudged ahead when Connor kicked a second penalty bang in front of the sticks but were behind shortly afterwards as wing Senior did brilliantly to stay in touch and dive in at the left corner while Leigh were down to 12 men after Robbie Mulhern was shown a green card.
The Leopards missed a golden opportunity to extend their advantage when David Armstrong's stunning line break set him clear but his pass to Edwin Ipape was clearly forward as the hooker knocked on for good measure in a captivating first period.
That moment looked to be pivotal as Ash Handley's outrageous offload reached Miller who weaved and then found Croft on his inside to dot down a terrific Leeds score under the posts.
After Charnley was stopped in his tracks by a wonderful last-ditch tackle from Zak Lloyd, Leigh recycled the ball left and Senior deceived Miller to score his second before Adam Cook missed the conversion attempt as the scores were level at the break.
Leeds regained their slender advantage via Connor's boot five minutes into the second half but Charnley turned on the afterburners down the right again and was supported by Hanley on his inside to slide over and put Leigh back in front.
With 20 minutes left, Andrew Badrock was sent to the sin-bin for dangerous contact on Harry Newman. A fearless 12-man defensive showing meant Leigh did not give up a point while Badrock was off the field.
The hosts thought they were level with just over three minutes remaining when Hall barged over in the left corner but his trailing right foot was taken into touch by superb scramble defence from Hanley - and Leigh survived again.
After a monster 40/20 from Connor, Leeds had the ball deep in the opposition half with 30 seconds left but Liam Horne held on to another grubber attempt from Connor as Leigh claimed a league double over the leaders.
'They really owned their big moments' - reaction
Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur told BBC Radio Leeds:
"Credit to Leigh. They scrambled really well and they were pretty brave. It felt like we dominated most of the game, most of the stats. The biggest stat we didn't dominate was the scoreboard.
"I thought our effort was really good. We tried really hard, we were nice and physical. Plenty of want and desire. We just got a bit of detail wrong and they really owned their big moments. In the end, that was probably the difference.
"We'll get plenty of learning out of that. I felt like everyone was trying really hard but we just didn't get some of the execution right. We threw plenty at it, probably too much."
Leeds: Miller; Newman, Bird, Handley, Hall; Croft, Connor; Oledzki, O'Connor, Jenkins, Hankinson,Watkins, C. Smith.
Interchanges: Holroyd, Cassell, McCormack, Lloyd.
Leigh: Armstrong; Senior, Badrock, Hanley, Charnley; Cook, Lam; Ofahengaue, Horne, Liu, Hughes, Trout, Brogan.
Interchanges: Ipape, Mulhern, Alick-Wiencke, Davis.
Sin-bin: Badrock (61 mins).
Referee: Chris Kendall.
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