In the end, the result we all expected ultimately materialised. The headline is that it is Leeds Rhinos who claimed the sixth and final place in the Super League playoffs at the expense of Castleford Tigers, but that does not even begin to tell the story.
This had been billed as the decider by Super League, with the winner heading into the playoffs and the loser’s season coming to an end.
The Rhinos emerged victorious but given that all these players have been forced to play four times in little over a fortnight due to ludicrous fixture scheduling that makes a mockery of rugby league’s posturing about its stance on player welfare, the quality was never likely to be on show.
Rarely do you see a score of 0-0 at half-time in a rugby league game, but after 40 minutes when the players looked fatigued and perhaps fraught with tension given the enormity of the occasion, it was perhaps no surprise here. But despite falling 8-0 behind heading into the final 10 minutes, it was Leeds who did what they have managed to do a lot under Rohan Smith this year: win when they are not quite at their best.
You felt as though their season was petering out to an unimpressive end here, before tries from Kruise Leeming and Aidan Sezer, the latter coming in the final play of the game, ultimately ensured Leeds’ passage through to the playoffs. They will face Catalans on Friday, while Huddersfield host Salford next Saturday. The two winners progress to the semi-finals.
“We’ve won a lot of gritty games like this in the last little while and we’ll enjoy it briefly,” said Smith, who has led Leeds to a run of seven wins in the last eight games. “Getting to the playoffs was the first thing, but we’ve got to make this count.”
How Leeds pick themselves up to go again in Perpignan will be fascinating. But the fact they are in the playoffs is cause for celebration given how things looked late on here.
“I’m an incredibly proud head coach,” Lee Radford said. The Tigers were rank outsiders given their injury crisis here, but forged an 8-0 lead as the hour mark approached with Jake Mamo’s try improved by a conversion and a penalty from the boot of Paul McShane.
Defensively, Castleford were outstanding, but you always wondered if their visibly fatigued squad would crack in the pressure moments.
Credit must go to Leeds for the way they hung in and forged the try that brought the game level, after Leeming finished a break from Zak Hardaker.
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An earlier penalty from Rhyse Martin reduced Castleford’s lead to six and just as it seemed as though we would be heading for golden point extra time, Richie Myler broke from deep in the final minute and Sezer was on hand to convert.
Leeds go again while Castleford, despite such a fine effort, must prepare for 2023.
