Leeds Rampage Past St Helens to Leave Playoff Streak on the Brink
Leeds Rhinos handed St Helens their worst post-war home defeat to the club on 28 August 2026, running out 34-6 winners in a Super League clash that turned on a masterclass from Jake Connor.
The Rhinos were 18-0 up at half-time and never looked threatened. Chris Hankinson, Harry Newman and Cameron Smith all crossed before the break, with Connor pulling the strings throughout — the Guardian's match report describing him as "sensational" in everything he did.
Ryan Hall needed barely any time after the restart to stretch the lead to 22-0, and from there St Helens had nowhere to go. In rugby league, a team gets six tackles (a "set") to advance the ball before handing over possession; Leeds were making every set count while Saints coughed up the ball cheaply and failed to complete their sets (the percentage of tackles in which a side keeps the ball through to the kick).
Jack Welsby provided the only moment of resistance for the home side, scorching in for a solo try. It was a brief flicker. Ash Handley finished off a Connor kick for another Leeds score, and Brodie Croft racked up his 28th try of the season to round off the scoring The Guardian.
The defeat leaves St Helens' playoff hopes hanging by a thread. The club has reached the end-of-season playoffs every year for six decades — a run that now sits in genuine jeopardy. Their remaining fixtures are against fifth-placed Leigh and sixth-placed Hull KR, both direct rivals for those precious postseason spots. Interim coach Eamon O'Carroll, who took over mid-season, faces the unenviable task of lifting a side that arrived on the back of a 36-12 win and was chasing three straight victories for the first time since May Saints RLFC.
For Leeds, the picture could hardly look more different. Under Brad Arthur, they have already secured a top-two finish and a bye through the opening week of the playoffs. With two rounds left, they sit favourites to finish the regular season on top and face Wigan next Saturday in what amounts to a decider for the League Leaders' Shield — the trophy awarded to the team that finishes first after the regular season.
While O'Carroll tries to salvage Saints' campaign, the club has already looked further ahead. Australia's Kevin Walters is set to take charge in 2027, a signal that St Helens view next year as a fresh start regardless of how this season ends The Guardian.
For now, though, the present is bleak. A 60-year playoff streak, four consecutive Super League titles between 2019 and 2022, and a proud home record all took a battering on a Thursday night to forget.
