It was a bumper payday for Acton based amateur side Wests Warriors as they switched their Challenge Cup game against the Rhinos to Headingley, with the Leeds faithful happy to get to see their side start their cup campaign on home soil, with the hope of a massive points win to give a confidence boost going into the start if Super League.
The bookies had given the Warriors a ninety-two point start on the coupon but with Brad Arthur fielding a very strong side, there was every chance that the statisticians would be reaching for the record books before the final hooter.
It was a Southern Conference League side making a two-hundred-mile trip north to face the Super League side, four tiers difference between the two, and there could only possibly be one winner.
With just over a minute on the clock the Rhinos got their first try of the game with a Brodie Croft kick to the corner collected by Ryan Hall to dot down. Jake Conner added the conversion from ten in from the touchline for an early 6-0 lead.
A couple of handling errors from the Rhino gave the Warriors some respite, but on ten minutes Riley Lumb engineered space wide to cross off an Ash Handley pass. Connor’s conversion attempt drifted wide.
Within two minutes Connor grabbed his first try of the afternoon, Handley again the provider, as the Rhinos backs formed an orderly queue to touch down. Connor was on target for a sixteen-point lead on twelve.
A delightful offload from Cameron Smith put Jack Sinfield free to score under the sticks for the fourth try in fourteen minutes. Connor hit the mark with the conversion, as expected, Wests not getting a look in.
Two minutes later a miss-out pass from Brodie Croft found Harry Newman who freed Hall for his second try down the wing. Connor kicked the touchline conversion, the Rhinos scoring at almost two points per game minute and the Warriors couldn’t get their hands on the ball.
Keenan Palasia was held up over the line on twenty-five after a better period from the visitors. But on the next play the ball Smith went through the defensive line and scored the sixth try for Leeds, Connor adding the extras.
Sinfield and Connor combined on twenty-seven, Morgan Gannon taking the pass and dropping both shoulders to score. Connor was wide for the second time in the afternoon, the Rhinos just under the forty.
Sinfield could have gone on his own for the eighth Rhinos try but passed to Matt Frawley to open his account. Connor was on target for the sixth time in the game, Leeds with a 44-0 lead with five minutes of the half remaining.
Sam Lisone scored the first try of the second half, going in on the last tackle after some nice footwork on the end of a Gannon pass. Connor kicked the extras to bring up the Leeds fifty.
An Andy Ackers dummy put Lisone in for his second just two minutes later, the big man in support to cross for a brace. Connor converted again.
Returning the kick off, Sinfield dummied twice to go in for try number eleven and his second of the afternoon. Connor hit the target again from under the sticks. The Rhinos were running riot, the amateurs looking exhausted.
Sinfield turned provider a couple of minutes later as he put Alfie Edgell free to score for the Rhinos, the eighth different scorer of the afternoon. Connor kicked his tenth goal of the game.
Tom Holroyd scored a last tackle try after a cross-field kick and when Connor added the conversion it was seventy-four with twenty minutes remaining.
A knock to Sinfield saw him leave the field, the Rhinos electing to play on with twelve men. On the next play the ball Hall went in for his hat-trick from the back of the scrum after he was fed by Edgell. Connor converted from the touchline to bring up the eighty.
A delayed ball from Connor gave Gannon his second of the afternoon as the Rhinos ran the ball on the last play-the-ball. Connor hit the mark to take his personal game tally to thirty points with thirteen minutes remaining.
Leeds were back to a full thirteen players with twelve remaining, just in time to thwart a Wests Warriors attack, Sam Lisone replacing Ash Handley.
Benefitting from a Wests knock-on, Holroyd went close but was held up before a flat ball found Lisone to complete his hat-trick. Connor made it fourteen tries from sixteen attempts, the Rhinos closing in on the ton and were now on the bookies handicap.
The Rhinos are safely into the draw for the fourth round, but that was never in any doubt after getting such a lowly side in the third-round draw. All credit to Wests Warriors who gave it their all, but they were totally outplayed by the full-timers and kept scoreless into the bargain. All kudos to the bookies for calling the exact winning margin in the pre-game handicaps.
Leeds Rhinos: Connor (T, G 14/16), Lumb (T), Newman, Handley, Hall (3T), Croft, Frawley (T), Jenkins, Sinfield (2T), Palasia, McDonnell, Gannon (2T), Smith (T). Subs: Edgell (T), Lisone (3T), Holroyd (T), Ackers. 18th Man: Nicholson-Watton.
Wests Warriors: Hanu, Macani, Gribble, Nichols, Walker, Thomas, Payne, Robinson, Thorman, Laumatika-Paki, Johnson-Thomas, Poching, Callaghan. Subs: Devlin, Griffiths, Dyer-Dixon, Greenhalgh. 18th Man: Russell.
Half-Time: 44-0.
Full-Time: 92-0.
Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0, 10-0, 14-0, 16-0, 20-0, 22-0, 26-0, 28-0, 32-0, 34-0, 38-0, 42-0, 44-0 : HT: 48-0, 50-0, 54-0, 56-0, 60-0, 62-0, 66-0, 68-0, 72-0, 74-0, 78-0, 80-0, 84-0, 86-0, 90-0, 92-0 :FT.
Lead Exchanges: Leeds.
Referee: Matt Lyne.
