Not even Francis Ford Coppola could have written a script as dramatic as this. The RFL had surely expected a night full of twists with as many as three teams in the hunt for the League Leaders’ Shield, but this was sporting drama from the very top drawer.
It was rugby league’s and Ryan Hall’s Sergio Agüero moment. That Kevin Sinfield had opted to take a penalty to level the scores with two minutes remaining indicated that Leeds had made their priority securing a home semi-final in the play-offs. Three straight defeats since the Challenge Cup final had left them vulnerable before this game and Wigan’s resounding 47-12 win over Castleford across the Pennines meant the helicopter ferrying the trophy was en route to Wigan.
But then, after the final hooter, cue Hall. It was the sixth time top spot had changed hands on an extraordinary night of action and the most remarkable finish to a regular season in Super League history. There is a fair argument to suggest Hall was having his worst game of the season to that point but big players produce big moments. The kick from Danny McGuire to send Hall away was magnificent and the England winger’s pick-up and race to the line were just as good.
And when the dust settled and everyone had just about managed to get their breath back, the realisation began to set in that the play-offs are yet to come. Without doing a disservice to St Helens or Wigan, few would complain if these two West Yorkshire rivals produced a Grand Final as good as this. Whoever makes it to Old Trafford, it will take something special to beat it.
With two minutes remaining it was Huddersfield who were heading for a home semi-final and Wigan set to claim the £100,000 prize for the League Leaders Shield. Leeds were set to complete a remarkable capitulation since their Challenge Cup success at Wembley but somehow they found a way to win.
“I thought it was a great game,” said the Leeds coach, Brian McDermott. “I didn’t think we were poor and I’ve no problem winning a game like that; you have to stick in there. They’re a tough team to play, so to finish in the fashion we have done is pleasing. We didn’t play overly well but I thought we deserved it.”
The sides could not be split after a bruising opening hour, with tries from Jermaine McGillvary and Stevie Ward, coupled with two goals apiece from the captains, Danny Brough and Kevin Sinfield, making it 8-8. Defence had proved supreme up to that point but after Jamie Ellis exploited a mistake from Hall, who let a Brough kick bounce, Brough’s conversion and a further penalty gave Huddersfield what seemed a comfortable eight-point buffer.
But then came the comeback. Tom Briscoe’s try gave Leeds a chance with six minutes left before Sinfield’s penalty and that match-clinching moment from Hall somehow handed them top spot. If the play-offs are half as dramatic as this, rugby league is in for a treat over the next fortnight.
Huddersfield Grix; McGillvary, Cudjoe, Wardle, Murphy; Brough, Ellis; Kopczak, Robinson, Huby, Ferres, Hughes, Ta’ai. Interchange Lawrence, Johnson, Leeming, Smith. Tries McGillvary, Ellis Goals Brough 4
Leeds Hardaker; Briscoe, Watkins, Moon, Hall; Sinfield, McGuire; Garbutt, Burrow, Singleton, Ablett, Ward, Cuthbertson. Interchange Delaney, Peacock, Leuluai, Lilley.
Tries Ward, Briscoe, Hall Goals Sinfield 4
Referee R Hicks
