Ryan Hall's 357th Career Try Headlines Leeds Rhinos' Win at St Helens
Ryan Hall crossed for his 357th career try as Leeds Rhinos took another step towards the Betfred Super League summit with a victory over St Helens at the BrewDog Stadium on Friday night.
The 357th try of Hall's remarkable career arrived courtesy of an offload from Jack Bird, extending the veteran winger's place among the most prolific finishers the British game has produced. It was one of several moments of quality from a Leeds side that arrived at Round 25 level on 38 league points with Wigan Warriors at the top of the table, holding a +192 points difference advantage over their rivals Super League.
St Helens had their moments. Jack Welsby, the Saints fullback whose ability to conjure something from nothing has made him one of the competition's standout talents, scored a fine individual try that reminded the home crowd what their side can do when given a sliver of space.
But Leeds kept their noses in front through tactical precision around the kicking game. Jake Connor, the Rhinos' playmaker, was at the heart of it. His grubber kick — a low, skidding kick along the ground that chases can race onto before the defence can react — was grounded by Ash Handley for one try. The same Connor grubber then took a wicked deflection off the upright, bouncing perfectly for Croft to collect and score his 28th Super League try of the season BBC Sport.
Not everything went Leeds' way. Forward Tom Holroyd had a try disallowed a minute after half-time, and Suluka-Fifita was sent to the sin-bin — a ten-minute temporary suspension for a rule infringement — leaving the Rhinos a man short during a tense spell. Marcus Griffiths, the referee, had his hands full keeping the contest under control.
The result deepens the pressure on St Helens, who now face a stark equation with two matches left in the regular season. They must beat Leigh Leopards and Hull Kingston Rovers to avoid missing out on the Super League play-offs for the first time BBC Sport. For a club of Saints' stature — perennial contenders and serial trophy winners — that is unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory.
Leeds, by contrast, are motoring. The Rhinos had been described by the Super League itself as the pace-setting side of the 2026 season Super League, and their form has backed up that billing despite a surprise 20-16 home defeat to Leigh Leopards at Headingley earlier in August Sky Sports. That result, their first home loss of the campaign, proved a blip rather than a turning point.
Leeds had already beaten St Helens once this season, winning 24-16 at AMT Headingley Stadium in Round 13 back in June, with Connor converting that day too Saints RLFC. This result completed the double and tightened their grip on top spot, with Warrington Wolves continuing to apply pressure from just behind the leading pair Super League.
For Hall, the night belonged to longevity. In a sport that tests the body at every collision, 357 tries across a career is a mark of durability as much as finishing skill. For St Helens, the maths is simple and brutal: two wins, or a season without play-off rugby for the first time in the club's modern history.
