The bookies had cruelly given tonights visitors from the nations capital of the 'kiss me quick' hat a sixty-two point start. The lack of any potential of a contest had kept away the Rhinos supporters with just over five thousand handing over their tenner and risking being frozen to death on the near empty terraces.

But this was the Panthers cup final, and with everyone giving them a snowball in hells chance of geting anything out of the game there were banana skins aplenty.

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Despite naming a strong squad there were several first teamers rested/injured including Diskin, McGuire, JJB, Bailey and Ablett. Plenty of respect was shown to the side from two division below us with a Rhinos side featuring a blend of youth and experience. Greg Eastwood made a welcome and unexpected return to a side which saw Smith at full-back, Sinfield at stand-off, Webb at scrum-half and Clarkson at loose forward. It would make for an interesting, if somewhat confusing game.

It took just fifty second for the Rhinos to get over the whitewash. Returning the Blackpool kick-off Smith went through a gap and fed Webb to cross unopposed. Sinfield kicked the extras and you could almost hear the collective brains of the SouthStand mentally calculating that at this rate it would be well over a ton.

Rather than capitulate, the Panthers settled into their game and on eight minutes astounded the Rhinos players and delighted their travelling support by scoring a try of their own. The Rhinos were given a lesson in keeping the ball alive as at least a dozen pairs of Blackpool hands contributes to Ainscough going over in the corner. Hemmingway failed to convert and we had 6-4.

It took until the seventeen minutes for the Rhinos to go in again, when Sinfield, Eastwood (on for an injured Smith who we wouldn't see again), and Buderus put Webb over for his second down the middle. Sinfield goaled. But five minutes later and the Panthers proved that we were not going to have it all our own way. A break by Ainscough drew Webb, by now slotted back in at full-back, before he passed to Clough to go in. Hemmingway kicked the extras for an uncomfortable 12-10.

11 Goals

On twenty-five Senior took two tacklers before offloading to Hall on the Rhinos thirty and the the express winger put in a text-book one-handed fend on the only man in his way to go down the wing and score. Sinfield added the extras for 18-10 and a little bit of breathing space. On the half-hour the visitors should have scored again when the ball was dislodged from Peacocks grasp by Clough but he contrived to pass into touch when the line was begging. On thirty-seven a good charge by Peacock saw him held short but on the next play Lauiti'iti crashed over. Sinfield converted for 24-10.

As we awaited the hooter it looked like we'd got another when Hall went eighty metres to score under the sticks only to find that the referee had penalised Senior for a tackle block. From the resulting scrum a chip over the top was pounced on by Munro to score as the Leeds defenders looked on. Hemmingway goaled and at half time we had a narrow 24-16 lead, not what we'd expected, but all credit to the Panthers who were lightening quick at the play-the-ball and passing like a quality Superleague side.

We expected better in the second half from the Rhinos, much better.

It took just a minute. A dangerous offload by Fairhurst on his own twenty gave Leeds the ball in a great position. Leeds used three tackles before a brilliant Kylie offload put Webb over for his hat-trick try. Sinfield kicked the extras for 30-16.

On forty-three a Sinfield shallow chip on the last was caught on the full by Delaney who motored over. Sinfield kicked brilliantly from the touchline. Five minutes later and a Webb long pass missed out two Leeds players and bamboozled the Panthers defence to find Coady who crossed in the corner. Sinfield goaled again for 42-16 and when Coady went over off a Delaney pass for his second on fifty-one, despite Sinfield missing the kick Leeds an unassailable 46-16 lead and a devastating ten minute spell had seen Leeds rack up twenty-two points and close the tie out.

But we weren't finished...far from it. On fifty-four Hall went down the wing before finding Webb supporting inside. Suicide antics from Webb almost saw his pushed back into the field of play while trying to improve Sinfields angle, but he touched down and Sinfield added the extras. On fifty-six the Panthers got their only points of the half when the re-captured the ball off a short kick-off and used the ball well before Ratcliffe crossed. Hemmingway goaled for 52-22.

Webb 5, Coady 3

From then on it was all Leeds. On fifty-eight a suicide pass from Alcock allowed Coady to intercept and cross for his hat-trick, converted by Sinfield for 58-22.

On seventy Eastwood went over for a well deserved try from twenty metres which Sinfield again kicked for 64-22 and the icing on the cake came on the final hooter when Webb stepped out of a tackle and went fifty metres down the wing to score in the corner. Sinfield goaled from the touchline for a final Leeds win of 70-22 and to put our names in the hat for the quarter finals.

All credit to the Panthers, they came to Headingley with no chance and gave it their best shot. They got twenty-two points on the board, many more than a lot of Superleague sides have achieved over the last few years, and hopefully they had a great day out and a great experience, despite the poor crowd.

Leeds did enough, more than enough, but you can't help but think that we did go a little easy on the visitors at times tonight.

The march to the arch continues, and lets hope that it hasn't cost us another injury to Lee Smith.