It was Leeds Rhinos ‘Brad Arthur’ test day as the new coach took charge of the side for the first time as they came up against a trailblazing Hull KR side who are having a sensational season inside the top six and who wanted the two points to move level with the Warrington Wolves in second place.

The bookies made the visitors slight favourites but with only a two point advantage to the Rhinos on the handicap coupon they were far from convinced that this was an ironed on win for the Robins as Leeds looked to get two points closer to the Salford Red Devils and the cherished sixth spot in the table.

The Leeds masses gathered at Headingley to ask whether this would be a new dawn for their beloved club, or more of the same underperforming that their side has displayed for the last few years.

Leeds set off like a house on fire and on four minutes they scored the first try of the game when Jack Broadbent spilled a Matt Frawley bomb which was then picked up and scored by Rhyse Martin by the left upright. The Rhinos second rower added the conversion for a 6-0 lead.

Paul Momirovski was held up over the line on eight minutes after a great defensive effort by Mikey Lewis, the visitors were under constant pressure until a superb Lewis 40-20 on eleven finally got them some possession inside the Leeds half.

Hull KR were slowly easing their way into the game and finding more field position before a set restart and penalty in quick succession saw good Robins pressure on the Leeds line, but they spilled the ball on the fourth tackle, Lachlan Miller moving pay up to the Leeds twenty.

Messing about at the play the ball from Oliver Gildart gave Leeds a shot at goal but Mr Dependable Martin was unable to find target. Both sides were making mistakes, but it seemed that those by the visitors were the costliest.

There was little between the sides at the interval, the closest of games with the sides separated by six on the scoreboard and all was to play for in the second half.

Within the opening three minutes of the second half David Fusitu’a should have been in for the second Leeds try but a hand in from Lewis caused enough disruption for the Rhinos winger to spill the ball with the line begging.

Hull KR turned defence into attack and within a minute the Leeds-bound Ryan Hall went over in the left corner off a bullet pass from Matt Parcell. Lewis added a brilliant touchline conversion to level the scores at 6-6, the momentum now with the visitors.

Another superb Lewis 40-20 put KR back on the front foot, but great Leeds defence saw them survive the set and regain possession with half an hour on the clock. A barnstorming run from Lewis saw him batter his way to the line of fifty-two to give his side the lead after Miller had spilled a high kick and conceded a goal line drop out. Lewis showed a small chink in his armour as he put the conversion attempt wide of the uprights.

A crazy Leeds try saw them back on level terms on sixty-eight, a Matt Frawley kick bounced, hit the cross-bar, was missed by a defender before being touched by the KR full back into the hands of Miller who dotted down under the sticks. Martin added the conversion and Leeds were back in the lead at 12-10 with ten minutes remaining.

On seventy-four, with Cameron Smith a passenger in back play, a high kick was knocked on by Fusitu’a before being picked up by Tanginoa and passed back to Jai Whitbread to walk in and score. Lewis added the conversion for a 16-12 lead.

Ninety seconds from the end of the game Jez Litten found a gap in the exhausted Leeds defence and ran thirty metres to score unopposed down the left side. Lewis missed the conversion for a 20-12 win Leeds hearts broken, a common outcome in 2024.

It was a scruffy and scrappy match, but full of excitement, and which after a nail-biting second half went the way of Hull KR with them securing an important two points which lifts them level with Warrington and just two points behind the Wigan Warriors who slipped up this afternoon against the other side of Hull. The Hull KR bandwagon rolls on. Leeds were much improved and were within the game until the final whistle but in the end they didn’t have the drive to strike at the end of the game and take the crucial home win which would have heled their quest for the top six.

Leeds Rhinos: Miller (T), Handley, Momirovski, Newman, Fusitu’a, Croft, Frawley, Oledzki, Ackers, Eseh, McDonnell, Martin (T, 2/2 G), Smith. Subs: O’Connor, Lisone, Donaldson, Edgell 18th Man: Sinfield. 

Hull KR: Broadbent, Burgess, Hiku, Gildart, Hall (T), May, Lewis (T, 2/4 G), Sue, Parcell, Hadley, Storton, Opacic, Minchella.  Subs: Litten (T), Luckley, Whitbread (T), Tanginoa. 18th Man: Brown.

Half-Time: 6-0.

Full-Time: 12-20.

Score Progression: 4-0, 6-0 : HT: 6-4, 6-6, 6-10, 10-10, 12-10, 12-14, 12-16, 12-20 :FT.

Lead Exchanges: Leeds – Square – KR – Square – Leeds - KR.

Referee: Liam Moore.