Leeds Rhinos underlined their position at the top of Super League with a bruising 40-22 victory over Wakefield Trinity, with half-back Jake Connor further emphasising why he should be England's starting scrum-half for this autumn's World Cup.
Maika Sivo Shines with Hat-Trick
Fijian winger Maika Sivo scored three tries, taking his season tally to 17 in nine games. Two of those came before half-time, with Kallum Watkins also crossing thanks to a brilliant Connor assist to put the Rhinos 20-12 up at the break.
Connor had a telling hand in all three of Sivo's tries and provided four try assists overall, dominating the game with his creativity and vision.
Wakefield Fightback Falls Short
Wakefield stayed in contention through tries from Oli Pratt and Tray Lolesio. However, yellow cards for Sivo and Ash Handley either side of half-time briefly reduced Leeds to 11 men. Jayden Myers scored during that period to narrow the deficit to six points, raising hopes of a comeback.
But Sivo claimed his third shortly after returning from the sin-bin, and two late tries from Brodie Croft either side of a second for Myers ensured Leeds always had Wakefield at arm's length.
Injury Concern for Cam Scott
The contest lasted more than two hours, partly due to a lengthy stoppage after Wakefield's Cam Scott was taken to hospital after being knocked out in a clash with Leeds' Keenan Palasia. Scott was later given the all-clear.
Wakefield coach Daryl Powell reflected on a difficult night: "It was carnage from start to finish. I just don't think we were that great."
Leeds Stay Top of Super League
Leeds' eighth win in 10 games keeps them ahead of St Helens on points difference after Saints beat York Knights 40-16. Leeds head coach Brad Arthur said: "I'm relieved because it was the longest game in history. The guys were really brave and strong defensively with 12 players. We handled everything really well. I'm extremely proud of them."
Teams:
Leeds: Miller; Sivo, Handley, Bird, Hall; Croft, Connor; Oledzki, Levi, Palasia, McDonnell, Hankinson, Watkins. Interchange: Jenkins, Holroyd, O'Connor, Smith.
Wakefield: Rourke; Pratt, Scott, Hall, Myers; Trueman, Lino; McMeeken, Smoothy, Hamlin-Uele, Storton, Pitts, Rodwell. Interchange: Faatili, Smith, Lolesio, Tate.
Referee: C Kendall.
