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Carnegie Challenge Cup Round 4
18th April 2008
Young Guns See Rhinos Home
Four unanswered tries in 25 second half minutes ensured that there would be no shock at Headingley as Leeds saw off
a defiant Crusaders effort in a match that could be a precursor of a more regular fixture next season.
In the end, there were plaudits for all; Rhinos blooding three of the next generation - of whom immensely assured
full back Ben Jones-Bishop was the undoubted pick – welcoming back an increasingly influential Danny McGuire and
coming up with some inventive interplay that saw seven different try scorers, six of them in the backs.
Celtic, in front of the biggest crowd they’ve played before, were given a terrific reception throughout and
responded with a highly creditable performance that backed up their licence application and saw them claw back an
early seemingly decisive deficit and claim the final try.
Leeds, with a near first choice starting thirteen apart from their teenage debutants opened impressively, Nick
Scruton sending McGuire through a whole and Paul Ballard pulling down Jones-Bishop just short.
Kevin Sinfield spotted numbers out wide, his cross kick gathered in by 17 year old Kallum Watkins who sent Lee Smith
over in the corner.
Watkins was again involved in the lead up to the second score; Matt Diskin, Rob Burrow and Keith Senior with a skip
on the inside sending in Scott Donald.
Jones-Bishop swept up well to deny the visitors on their first meaningful foray, Rhinos responding with their best
move of the night as Diskin and Burrow again did the spadework, Jones-Bishop’s wonderful soft hands on the inside
setting Senior free and he positioned Burrow to the whitewash to complete a superb 70 metre move.
If the first quarter belonged to the hosts, Crusaders dominated to the break to put the contest back in the melting
pot.
Leeds were guilty of cheaply squandered possession and on a power play, Neil Budworth, Jace Van Dijk, David Tangata
-Toa and Mark Dalle Cort combined to send Welsh international Anthony Blackwood over.
Van Dijk’s range of kicks, Josh Hannay’s off loads and Jamie I’Anson’s motivated impetus kept the Celts in range and
four minutes before the break excellent handling again saw the Leeds right exploited, Van Dijk, Darren Mapp, Damien
Quinn with a flick back to Van Dijk and Dalle Cort allowing Blackwood to come back on the inside to score.
Off loads on the end of strong charges by Kylie Leuluai gave Leeds the early second half ascendancy, Burrow and
McGuire making the most of a penalty award for the latter’s smuggled pass to send in Diskin.
In the 54th minute, home nerves were settled, Jones-Bishop weaving through four men on a 40 metre break and Burrow
scooting clear, his inside ball into traffic being hacked on by McGuire who won the race to the ball as it nestled
in the in-goal.
Ian Webster and Blackwood denied Watkins as Van Dijk did his best to keep his side in the frame.
His knock on, though, proved costly as Rhinos kept the ball alive in the left corner on a power play, a quick spread
seeing it zip through Sinfield and Scruton for Danny Williams to send in Watkins for his debut try.
McGuire on a runaround with Ablett split the cover for Burrow’s pass to give Senior room to beat Ballard on the
outside but Crusaders, fittingly, had the final say, Gareth Dean being held up by Danny Allan only for Dalle Cort to
cross from Webster’s pass.
Commenting on the Crusaders, Leeds coach Brian McLennan said: "They were good, they played really well and I was
really impressed. They've got a good coach, a good structure and ten minutes before half-time they had us
struggling. They were very well organized and on their day, they could knock out a big club and that's what got us
worried. We respected them at the start, we knew they'd be tough and they never surprised us, they did really
well."
Crusaders' coach John Dixon added: "It was nice to come today and play as well as we did and that's what I hoped
would happen. Tonight showed that we can compete with the best. Congratulations to the Rhinos, they did a really
good job in the second half but at half-time we almost had the smell of something. A lot of sides could have got
beaten by 50 or 60 after the good start that Leeds had but I was pleased that our fitness and shape stood up and we
were competing really well right up to the end and probably asking more questions that the Rhinos in the last five
minutes."
Match Facts
|
No.
|
Player
|
T
|
G
|
DG
|
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No.
|
Player
|
T
|
G
|
DG
|
|
34
|
Jones-Bishop
|
|
|
|
|
1
|
Lennon
|
|
2
|
|
|
5
|
Smith
|
1
|
|
|
|
2
|
Ballard
|
|
|
|
|
32
|
Watkins
|
1
|
|
|
|
3
|
Hannay
|
|
|
|
|
4
|
Senior
|
1
|
|
|
|
4
|
Dalle Court
|
1
|
|
|
|
2
|
Donald
|
1
|
|
|
|
5
|
Blackwood
|
2
|
|
|
|
6
|
McGuire
|
1
|
|
|
|
6
|
Quinn
|
|
|
|
|
7
|
Burrow
|
1
|
1
|
|
|
7
|
Van Dijk
|
|
|
|
|
8
|
Leuluai
|
|
|
|
|
8
|
James
|
|
|
|
|
9
|
Diskin
|
1
|
|
|
|
9
|
Budworth
|
|
|
|
|
17
|
Scruton
|
|
|
|
|
10
|
Dean
|
|
|
|
|
10
|
Peacock
|
|
|
|
|
11
|
Beasley
|
|
|
|
|
19
|
Ablett
|
|
|
|
|
12
|
Mapp
|
|
|
|
|
13
|
Sinfield
|
|
4
|
|
|
13
|
Wyatt
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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23
|
Williams
|
|
|
|
|
14
|
Summers
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|
|
|
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24
|
Burgess
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|
|
|
|
15
|
Webster
|
|
|
|
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25
|
Allan
|
|
|
|
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16
|
I'Anson
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|
|
|
|
26
|
Kaye
|
|
|
|
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17
|
Tangata-Toa
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|
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Kick Off:
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20:00
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Half-Time:
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14-10
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Referee:
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Phil Bentham
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