There’s no getting away from how important this result was. It was as near to must-win as it gets. But when the chips were down, the Rhinos delivered and did so in spades.
Ignore the mitigating factors; it's irrelevant how weak or how poor Hull FC were. All that mattered was that Leeds beat what was in front of them and they did that convincingly. Now, they have a chance of salvaging something from this season.
Leeds end the round three points adrift of the play-offs. With ten games left that’s more than catchable. But the next two weeks are so important. Victory over Castleford Tigers next week drags them right back into the mix and if that could be backed up with a win out in France, there’s a chance the Rhinos could be in the top six in a fortnight.
It won’t be easy. The Tigers are in form having won their last three matches. On Saturday, Toulouse picked up their third win of the season, all of them on home soil. The season could as easily collapse as it could be rejuvenated.
But Leeds have given themselves a chance now. They’ve proven again, similar to when they hammered Warrington Wolves, that when they hit their straps, they’re a damn good team and an entertaining one to watch at the same time.
They just need to put it together consistently. Whether people want to believe it, accept it or dismiss it, it’s a talented bunch of players Rohan Smith has at his disposal. They’re still capable of delivering something, that was on show at the MKM.
One other small side note, and it's perhaps too early to start considering the implications, but the manner of the win has done the Rhinos' points difference no harm. They now have the sixth-best in the competition, despite being on minus 15. Nevertheless, maybe, just maybe, it will be a factor come the end of the season.
And at least with the Saturday demolition job, they’ve kept their hopes for the year just about flickering. Now, some magic on the toon would do wonders.
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