Challenge Cup: Leeds Rhinos 18-26 St Helens: Grace double helps Saints into quarter-finals
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Challenge Cup 2021: St Helens 26-18 Leeds Rhinos highlights
Betfred Challenge Cup |
|---|
Leeds (6) 18 |
Tries: Oledzki, Dwyer 2 Goals: Martin 3 |
St Helens (8) 26 |
Tries: Makinson 2, Grace 2 Goals: Makinson 5 |
St Helens moved into the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a hard-earned victory over a 12-man Leeds Rhinos.
Only Tommy Makinson's penalty goal separated the two sides at the break, with the Saints winger's try matched by Leeds prop Mikolaj Oledzki.
Rhinos back-rower Zane Tetevano was sent off and Saints took advantage with Makinson's goal and Regan Grace's try.
Wales winger Grace added his second for Saints and despite two tries for Leeds' Brad Dwyer, Makinson made sure late on.
With holders Leeds down on numbers as injuries bite, head coach Richard Agar was forced to field a youthful side for the holders and sent out a halves pairing of back-rowers Rhyse Martin and Cameron Smith in the absence of stars Rob Lui, Luke Gale, Kyle Eastmond and Richie Myler.
They lost King Vuniyayawa during a tough first half which also saw Saints back-rower Sione Mata'utia forced off with a head knock and Matty Lees limp away with a knee injury.
However they belied the disadvantage in a competitive first 40, forcing errors from the normally slick Saints, and only when Tetevano was dismissed for a late hit on Theo Fages were they finally undone.
They were made to work hard, but Kristian Woolf's Saints side took the opportunity to pick up points when the numerical advantage swung in their favour.
Makinson finished well from a sliding move to the right in the opening few minutes, while Grace showed good footwork to ease his way in against a scrambling Rhinos defence.
It looked an ominous task for Leeds, but two sniping breaks by Dwyer dragged the deficit back to two points and set up a frantic final eight minutes.
Leeds: Broadbent; T. Briscoe, Mellor, L. Sutcliffe, L. Briscoe; Martin, Smith; Oledzki, Leeming, Prior, Walters, Donaldson, Tetevano
Interchanges: Dwyer, O'Connor, Vuniyayawa, Gannon
St Helens: Coote; Makinson, Naiqama, Welsby, Grace; Lomax, Fages; Walmsley, Roby, Lees, Thompson, Bentley, Mata'utia,
Interchanges: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Amor, Paasi, Dodd