Not Quite There!

By leedsrhinos.biz
September 30 2007

St Helens secured their place in the engage Super League Grand Final on Friday but Leeds had pritty bad luck in the second half as the lads and about three thousand fans travelled down to Merseyside to witness one of this years best games. We bring you all the action.

Tony Smith left out Ryan Bailey for Fridays big game against Saints and fielded the same seventeen that won against the Wildcats two Fridays ago. The atmousphere told that this game was going to be a cracker, but nobody was expecting to witness the next eighty minutes of pure action.

The Rhinos defence found themselves in a tricky sittuation straight from the start with immense pressure on the Leeds line yet Lee Smith came up with the goods as he intercepted a poor Saints pass to reach the white-wash at the other end of the field. Sinfield slotted the extras but failed to convert an oh so important penalty kick as a result of a high tackle from Fozzard just moments later.

But after a penalty given against Leeds for Diskin not square at the play the ball, Leon Pryce stepped out of a tackle as all three Rhinos defenders in the centre of the field moved to the right to open a neat gap up for the tall guy.

Matty Smith added the extras and it was six a peice untill yet again Klein gave Saints a penalty in front of the sticks when he said that Webb kicked the ball at the play the ball when in fact Smith dropped the ball. The score was now 8-6 in the Champions favour.

That was it for the first half.

Now in the second Leeds had to come out and boss the second half - just as the scousers did in the first half, and in all honesty, thats what they did, just as Tony Smith said in his after-match interview.

Soon after the starting hooter the score was level again after a high tackle on Kirke.

On fifty-five minutes it looked as though Tansey had gone over the line but after watching it back on Sky, the video ref did do a good job. The oppurtunity came after Saints dropped the ball and McGuire dribbled it to the line before Jordan thought he had done enough.

In the last twenty it was just wave after wave of Leeds attack after many goal-line dropouts yet the Rhinos found no way through the St Helens line.

Rob Burrow made a good attempt for the one yet it hit the fingertips of a Saints player before hitting the sticks.

But Peacock seemed to of tackled Fozzard high and gifted St Helens a penalty kick which sealed the game and a place in the engage Super League Grand Final.

Webb then looked to have come up with the much needed four pointer on the last by stretching out to the line but it didn't even make the screen - a shock decision thought by both sets of fans..

The best side lost - even the Saints fans were saying that.

"Another game we have won by playing badly" I recall them saying.

It seems once again that one of the refs involved in the Millenium Magic incident seems the need to take it out on the side that won that round in Cardiff after thinking they were biased towards Leeds. Mistakes happen.

But lets put that game behind us now. Still one more chance at getting to Old Trafford on the 13th October.

Next week at the Headingley Carnegie the lads will be taking on the pie-eaters. According to leedsrugby.com tickets are selling fast and there was ques outside the ticket office on Saturday morning to get tickets so we would advise you to get your tickets early in the week or by going on the official Rhinos site.

Lets hope for a sell out on Friday and give Leeds a big boost as the 14th man.

We hope to see you there!