Blake Austin’s try three minutes from full time secured a sixth successive victory for Leeds Rhinos and moved them a step closer to securing a Super League playoff spot at the expense of Huddersfield Giants. Their latest win was not without controversy though, as a late sin-binning for the Huddersfield prop, Chris Hill, ultimately helped swing the contest in Leeds’ favour.
Calls have been growing all year for the sport to tackle gamesmanship and play acting at the ruck. They will no doubt be enhanced here after Leeds’ Richie Myler won a penalty after appearing to theatrically throw his legs in the air and give the impression he had been tipped on his head by Hill. The prop was sin-binned, Leeds moved downfield from a penalty and Austin darted through a gap in the Giants’ line to solidify their place inside the top six.
Huddersfield looked on course for victory themselves before that, and a win here would have moved them to within a point of second-placed Wigan with a week of the regular season remaining. The sides finishing first and second get a bye through the first week of the playoffs, but Ian Watson’s side may now have to settle for third place after falling desperately short here. The manner of the defeat and the controversy surrounding Hill’s yellow card left their coach unimpressed, though.
“I spoke six weeks ago about players trying to trick others and eventually, someone will get injured,” he said. “They’ll end up breaking their neck, injuring themselves. And the players involved in the tackle will have to live with the consequences. Players staying down, it’s the wrong way to go and we need to stamp it out of the game. It’s a serious thing that’s going wrong in this game.”
Huddersfield led 8-6 at half-time after tries for Ricky Leutele and Louis Senior overturned Leeds’ opener from Rhyse Martin. But goal-kicking caused the Giants problems all night, with Oliver Russell kicking just one from five. Martin, in contrast, converted all three of his. He helped put the Rhinos back ahead after half-time when converting Myler’s try, but the Giants hit back through Leroy Cudjoe.
Russell missed again to leave it tied at 12-12, before eventually converting a penalty to put them ahead by two after Leeds’ Aidan Sezer had been sin-binned for a hit on Théo Fages. But just as Sezer returned and it looked like the Giants would hold on, Hill’s sin-binning swung it back Leeds’ way. They worked their way downfield, before Brad Dwyer fed Austin and secured a sixth straight win. They could be assured of their playoff place as early as Monday should results elsewhere this weekend now go their way.
