Ouch!published at 15:42 British Summer Time 10 October 2021

15:42 BST 10 October 2021

Leeds 0-4 St Helens

Great cover tackle by Sophie Nuttall just as Saints looked set to go in again down the right.

But she's now down getting some treatment.

She went down on her back and looks to have maybe winded herself. Hopefully nothing worse.

The Leeds backroom team are on the case.

Image source, SWPix.com

Good response from Leeds as they camp on the Saints line at the other end but the visitors hold on to see out the six tackles.

Ouch!published at 15:35 British Summer Time 10 October 2021

15:35 BST 10 October 2021

Leeds 0-4 St Helens

Chantelle Crowl a very lucky girl to stay on the field after a late hit.

That could so easily have been Saints' second yellow card.

Referee Aaron Moore proving as lenient as his brother Liam was with Tommy Makinson last night.

Saints are stepping up the pace here, Jodie Cunningham is back on after her yellow card and goes so close to a second try.

Leah Burke appears to have scored in the right corner. But has she grounded it?

Image source, SWPix.com

They said this one would be tight - and it is.

Almost a quarter of the game gone - and still no score!

What will happen when Jodie Cunningham comes back on to even up the numbers up though?

They might be a body down but St Helens have gone close in the right corner again. That's twice Leeds have done well to hold out.

Fine St Helens attack down the right, but Leeds hold out.

Saints skipper Jodie Cunningham then stops the quick play-the-ball and gets sinbinned for it.

So the visitors are down to 12 for the next 10 minutes. Can Leeds cash in?

Courtney Winfield-Hill keeps the pressure on with a fine kick to the left corner, but Saints tidy up.

Leeds have made a bright start on their own patch. Some desperate defence by St Helens to stop them cashing in.

The sun is shining on a packed stand at Headingley - suggestions that there may be as many as 4,000 here watching.

Aaron Moore blows his whistle and we're under way.

Brother Liam took charge of last night's final.

Let's hope it's just as good a game.

Looks a nice day in Leeds.

A quick burst of Jerusalem from soloist Lynne Kenton and then we'll be off . . .

St Helens (from):Cunningham, Rotheram, Williams, Hardcastle, Burke, Harris, Whitfield, Jones, Birchall, E Rudge, Crowl, B Stott, D Stott, Akrigg, Travis, Roberts, Bush, Partington, Woosey, Sandham, I Rudge.

Leeds (from): Beevers, Robinson, Kerrigan, Goldthorp, Butcher, Winfield-Hill, Johnson, Bennett, Staveley, Frain, Nuttall, Priim, Gaines, Hulme, Murray, McCallion, Hornby, Lockwood, Watson.

Leeds skipper Courtney Winfield-Hill, the other half of England cricketer Lauren Winfield-Hill, was also a cricketer back home down under, but she traded leather and willow for the rough and tumble of rugby league when she arrived from Australia in 2018.

Now 34, she proved her worth with Grand Final and Challenge Cup honours in her debut season - helped by her calming dressing room influence.

Image source, SWPix.com

"In our last Grand Final we were 18 points behind at half-time," recalls Rhinos full-back Caitlin Beevers. "I came into the changing rooms infuriated. And she just said, 'What are you doing?

"I said, 'We're behind' but she replied, 'We always come back from behind' and instantly everybody just calmed down.

"It's not the position we want to be in but when someone realises people are under pressure and can just take the weight off their shoulders with a few simple words, That's a pure captain right there."

St Helens and Leeds have met just once before this season - and Saints won that one, triumphing 20-12 in the Challenge Cup semi-finals, en route to beating York to to win the trophy.

Having also topped the table after the play-off to take the league leader' shield, Saints can now win the treble.

Image source, SWPix.com

But Saints are on the Rhinos' own patch in Leeds - and their skipper Jodie Cunningham, the newly-crowned Woman of Steel, warns: "Leeds turn up in the big games when the pressure is on.

"No matter what the scoreline is at half-time, they can 100% turn games around in the second half and have individuals who can turn games on their own.

"Both teams absolutely know how to win. When we get the fixture list at the start of the year, the Leeds games are ones we circle. So I know it's going to be close and tight. It'll be a tough game, really intense."

Last night it was the men's turn at Old Trafford as St Helens scraped past Catalans Dragons to claim a third Super League Grand Final victory in successive seasons.

Today it's the turn of the Saints women as they play Leeds Rhinos in the Womens Super League at Emerald Headingley.

After the cancellation of the competition last year because of Covid, Saints are looking to become only the fourth team (after Bradford in 2017, Wigan in 2018 and Leeds in 2019) to add their name to this trophy by beating the reigning champions.

Image source, SWpix.com

In the regular league season, Leeds finished first, winning all of their seven matches - and St Helens only second, before Saints turned it round to top the pile in the play-offs to win the League Leaders' Shield.

In mens Super League, that has largely counted for little come Grand Final Day. In the last 10 seasons, only three times has the club who won the league leaders' shield gone on to win the Grand Final too.

What sort of precedent does that set for the Saints and Leeds women today?