Super League: Leeds 0-26 St Helens - Champions ease to victory over Rhinos at Headingley

James Roby became only the fifth St Helens player to total 500 appearances for the club

Super League champions St Helens put their shock first defeat of the season at new boys Toulouse behind them as they ran in five tries to win in some style at Leeds.

The Rhinos have now lost all five games at Headingley this season - their worst start to a campaign since 1898.

Leeds put in a game effort, as they limited Saints to two first-half tries from Konrad Hurrell and Tommy Makinson.

But Makinson, Lewis Dodd and Jonny Lomax added three more.

In their first Super League game since losing their 100% record at French newcomers Toulouse, Saints' 10th straight win over Leeds took them back above Wigan to the top of the table.

Leeds, already missing David Fusitu'a, Harry Newman, Richie Myler, Zane Tetevano and Brad Dwyer, were without half-back Aidan Sezer (groin strain) and back rowers Alex Mellor (illness) and Bodene Thompson (personal issues).

But the Rhinos, still under the caretaker charge of club legend Jamie Jones-Buchanan while they look for a new head coach, have now won just once in seven games this season.

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Saints twice cut Leeds open down the right inside the first 20 minutes, with tries for Leeds old boy Hurrell on his return to Headingley and England winger Makinson.

But Makinson twice failed with conversion attempts from the right touchline - and that kept Leeds in it a half-time.

They would have got even closer if three attempts at interception tries from Ash Handley had come off, but he just failed to safely pouch the loose ball twice. When he did manage to gallop to the other end to touch down, he was brought back by referee James Child for a knock-on by Jack Broadbent.

Makinson showed how it should be done when he did manage to go almost the full-length for his second try after the break.

That was closely followed by two stunning tries to complete the job, a beautifully worked move down the left for Dodd to run round and touch down, before fellow half-back Lomax collected his own neat dink over the top to go over for number five.

With all three second-half kicks going over for Mark Percival, that gave Saints a slightly flattering winning margin as Leeds failed to avoid the ignominy of being 'nilled' at home.

Although team-mate Lomax won the man-of-the-match award, 36-year-old St Helens skipper James Roby had another great game to mark his 500th appearance for the club, following in the footsteps of William Briers, Kel Coslett, Billy Benyon and Eric Chisnall as only the fifth Saints player to reach that tally.

Leeds interim boss Jamie Jones-Buchanan:

"Since the age of four, I could never get my head around teachers and coaches talking about performance. It was always about the win for me. But this week I got it.

"I was desperate for a performance or certainly a response and we got signs of it. 26-0 is never going to be good enough for Leeds Rhinos at home but I just feel there are some of the building blocks.

"We asked some questions but just didn't have enough zip or enough speed. We were not patient enough to build a game but we will get there."

St Helens coach Kristian Woolf:

"James Roby did what he does every single game. He's probably played that sort of game for all 500 That's why he's such a special player. The way he competes, the effort he puts in.

"His pass is 99 out of 100 every game and his defence is always exceptional. He also does the little things that people don't necessarily see. Every part of his game is exceptional. I find it really hard in my time here where he hasn't been an eight or nine out of 10. You just expect that in every single game.

"I can't sing his praises enough. He's an exceptional person off and on the field and I think the club is very much in his image, if you look at how the team plays and the values we have as a team. He's going to leave an exceptional legacy."

Leeds: Walker; Handley, Broadbent, Briscoe, Tindall; Austin, Sutcliffe; Oledzki, Leeming, Prior, Bentley, Martin, Smith.

Interchanges: O'Connor, Gannon, Donaldson, Mustapha.

St Helens: Welsby; Makinson, Hurrell, Percival, Bennison; Lomax, Dodd; Pa'asi, Roby, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Batchelor, Sironen, Knowles.

Interchanges: Lussick, Wingfield, Norman, Royle.

Referee: James Child

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