Jake Connor shines as Leeds sweep Leigh aside to keep title charge building
This was a night where you could almost sense the mood of all those associated with Leeds Rhinos shift from cautious optimism to genuine belief about what could lie ahead.After several years of malaise, disappointment is rare in this part of West Yorkshire these days but after an underwhelming defeat to St Helens last week, Brad Arthur had demanded his side show a response.How they did that here and in some style on another impressive evening for Leeds.The ultra-demanding Arthur will probably be frustrated with the amount of points his side conceded but credit must go to Leigh, who are in the top four on merit.But when the Rhinos attacked, they were utterly sensational and were worthy winners to climb above the Leopards and move up to third.
There were occasions when Leigh caused Leeds problems, both in-play and on the scoreboard.But the Rhinos rode those moments out, scoring some impressive tries and underlining why, for the first time in a long time, they are being discussed as title contenders.“It was an enjoyable game,” Arthur said.“We showed up to have a response from last week.That’s all I’m worried about and we’ve jumped a spot in the league.
”With Shaun Wane set to name his latest England performance squad on Monday, this was an opportune night for several Rhinos to shine.Few did so more than Jake Connor.The half-back is divisive to say the least but his form since joining Leeds this year has been sensational.Wane is understood to have left Connor out of the squad, but this performance, with a plethora of assists and a flawless display from the kicking tee, should have piqued the England coach’s attention.“He’s done enough to get a mention,” Arthur said of Connor.
It was his kick that led to Kallum Watkins’s opening try and after further scores from Lachlan Miller, Cameron Smith and Harry Newman, Leeds led 24-10 at half-time and entirely on merit.Leigh’s tries came through Isaac Liu and Keanan Brand, but they were below-par here.That was perhaps due to playing in Perpignan last Saturday against Catalans in searing heat and the Leopards never looked fully themselves.“It was a weird game,” said their coach, Adrian Lam.“We looked lethargic from last week in that heat.
”Their cause was not helped by the loss of their full-back, David Armstrong, at half-time but the night belonged to Connor,He was involved in Newman’s second before claiming a try of his own to put Leeds 36-14 aheadWhile Leigh would continue to score points late on, with Brand completing his hat-trick, they were never in the game,That is because the Rhinos continued to post points at will,Props Tom Holroyd and Mikolaj Oledzki crossed in the final quarter, with Connor influential in both, to put the seal on another win that suggests come October, we may be discussing Leeds’s fortunes in the big games once again,
England fall to heaviest T20 defeat as Mandhana century sparks India rout
England’s one-sided series against West Indies last month was merely a dress rehearsal: India was always going to be the main show. And so the curtain finally went up on the Charlotte Edwards-Nat Sciver-Brunt era for a Trent Bridge Saturday matinee.The audience, though, went home disappointed after witnessing an England performance akin to The Play That Goes Wrong, bowled out for 113 inside 15 overs, to hand India a 97-run win, England’s heaviest T20 defeat in terms of runs.Edwards’s calling-card has been about transforming England into a side that plays smart cricket and find ways to win. With the honourable exception of Sciver-Brunt – whose 66 from 42 balls was the only contribution of note – this performance failed on both counts
F1: Lando Norris on pole for Austrian GP with Max Verstappen down in seventh – as it happened
Well deserved! The McLaren driver has been dominant all weekend and finishes in style – half a second faster than Leclerc with a time of 1:03.971. It is his first pole in Austria!Giles Richards was at the Red Bull Ring and here is his verdict:For Norris this was just the result he required after his title hopes took a battering when he made the misjudged move against Piastri in Montreal, dropping him to 22 points behind the Australian.At the Red Bull Ring this weekend Norris had insisted his error in Canada had ultimately resulted in a positive outcome, that he and the team emerged stronger now the seemingly unavoidable clash had finally happened.Certainly Norris looked enormously comfortable in qualifying, which has been his achilles heel this season
Lando Norris storms to Austrian F1 GP pole as angry Verstappen slumps to seventh
Lando Norris enjoyed the stirring satisfaction of proving he still has skin in the game in the most emphatic fashion, taking pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix by more than half a second here on Saturday. His show of reinvigorated strength could not have sat in starker contrast than with the frustration and disappointment of Max Verstappen, whose seventh place in what he called an “undriveable” car will only have fuelled speculation about the defending world champion leaving Red Bull.That was addressed by the Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, after qualifying. “It’s a lot of noise, I think Max gets quite annoyed by it,” he said. “We’re very clear with the contract that we have with Max until 2028
Tomos Williams injury leaves Farrell’s Lions facing race to fill scrum-half slot
The British & Irish Lions are weighing up their scrum-half options after an injury to Tomos Williams that threatens to sideline the Welshman at the busiest stage of the squad’s Australian tour.The head coach, Andy Farrell, said a decision on calling up a replacement would be made on Sunday, with Scotland’s Ben White among the leading contenders to replace Williams at No 9.Williams contributed two tries in a fine all-round performance as the Lions eased to a 54-7 victory over Western Force but tweaked his left hamstring while diving over the line for his second score. It leaves the Lions with only two fit scrum-halves, one of whom – Jamison Gibson-Park – has been managing a strained glute muscle.Farrell said Gibson-Park would be fit to face the Queensland Reds on Wednesday but the Lions will need some cover if Williams is ruled out even for a short period, with Alex Mitchell as the only available option in the position
Western Force 7-54 British & Irish Lions: rugby union – as it happened
Robert Kitson’s match report in PerthThanks for your company, join us again later in the week for the next Lions fixture v Queensland RedsRobert Kitson’s match report in PerthAndy Farrell has some reflections“In some respects the intensity went up, but this is still a newish team and our discipline in first half was an issue. Second half our defence intensity increased and discipline improved. The Force took it to us, they played a tough high percentage game and we kept them in a good position through our poor discipline so made it tough for ourselves.“This was a lot of the lads’ first game, so we’re up and running and we’ll keep pushing it forward. There were some fantastic tries, but the play of the day was Mack Hansen going up and down the field [to set up Mitchell try]
Lions cut loose with eight-try win over Western Force for solid start in Australia
A convincing first tour win for the British & Irish Lions in Australia and plenty for the management to ponder. There was much to admire in the way the Lions unzipped a gallant but outgunned Western Force side, not least the playmaking vision of their fly-half Finn Russell and the youthful energy of Henry Pollock, but this eight-try triumph did come with one uncomfortable caveat.The scrum-half Tomos Williams, one of only two Welshmen on the tour, contributed a pair of tries but was left clutching his left hamstring after completing a brilliant team score in the right corner. With the Lions facing a hectic series of fixtures in the coming fortnight, they may well have to whistle up some emergency cover.The first-half penalty count was also too high but, for the most part, this performance will have alerted the Wallabies to the Lions’ counterattacking potential and collective depth
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