Leeds Rhinos 24 Bradford Bulls 10: rookies impress but first win gives few clues to Super League prospects

Youngster Joe Gibbons, freshly promoted in pre-season from the reserves to the senior squad, came off the bench in the right second-row ; the 20-year-old made an outstanding break from deep in Leeds territory, Ash Handley was in support and he sent Myler in.

Other than that, there wasn’t a great deal for the crowd of just 4,448 to get excited about. Leeds were clearly superior, even when they had a second-string side the field, but never fully asserted their dominance, without looking troubled at any stage.

With three warm-up matches under Leeds’ belt, there has still been no real indication towards how they will fare when the real business begins in a couple of weeks’ time.

Rhinos started with a strong lineup - though Derrell Olpherts was ruled out because of illness - but most of the senior players didn’t figure after half-time.

A concern for Rhinos was an injury to James McDonnell. The second-rower limped off after 29 minutes and didn’t return.

Leeds defended reasonably well and scored some good tries, but their execution was off at times.

Frequent changes, on both sides, meant the game never really flowed, however Rhyse Martin and Cameron Smith both got their first game time in pre-season and the young rookies did a solid job, Gibbons being the pick of those.

Sam Lisone made his second appearance for Rhinos and looked much more at home than in the previous week’s loss at Leigh and one run - when he scattered several defenders - was a highlight.

Before the game Rhinos coach Rohan Smith admitted teenage forward Leon Ruan has made much faster progress than was expected when he joined Leeds from Doncaster last autumn.

Having set up a try with some nice skill on Boxing Day, he impressed again at Leigh and continued his strong start by scoring the opening try against Bulls, powering through a gap off a nice pass by Richie Myler after five minutes.

As at Christmas, Rhinos suffered a dose of yellow fever. After 12 minutes, Dec Patton kicked through and Martin was penalised for taking out the chaser, Kieran Gill.

He was sin-binned and Bulls made the extra man count almost immediately when Jack Walker did well to send Joe Arundel over.

Walker, signed from Leeds, was Bulls’ best and is too good to be playing in the Championship.

Sam Walters, converted from a second-rower to prop under Smith, has shown some nice touches in pre-season, none more so than the offload which Morgan Gannon scored from midway through the first half. With Martin on the naughty step, Cameron Smith added the conversion.

Bulls had a touchdown ruled out when Gill crossed off a forward pass from former Leeds academy player AJ Wallace.

At the other end, Luis Roberts got over, but Myler’s pass had gone forward off Martin. Rhinos, though, struck again through Myler’s cracking try five seconds before interval to take an 18-4 lead.

Martin landed his second conversion, which was his final involvement in the game.

Gibbons’ father David played for Rhinos at the start of Super League, alongside Jamie Field, whose son Oli was also among Leeds’ substitutes.

Kevin Sinfield - father of another replacement Jack Sinfield - made his Rhinos debut in 1997, the same season as Dean Lawford, whose son Myles was on Bulls’ bench.

Gill produced a superb try-saving tackle to hold up Tindall over the line at the start of the second half, before Gibbons scored from a smart pass by Sinfield who also converted.

After Roberts knocked on over Bulls line midway through the half, the visitors applied some pressure - scoring a try through George Flanagan Senior which George Flanagan Junior converted - but Leeds’ youngsters scrambled well, particularly when Tindall prevented a third Bulls score with a late chase to halt Gill.

They weren’t on the teamsheet and aren’t in the senior squad, but hooker Bailey Aldridge (wearing nine) and half-back Kai Morgan (seven) got some game time late on.

Aside from the rugby, a talking point was the state of the Headingley pitch, which was more sand than grass within 20 metres of the goal line at the western end.

That was a legacy of a concert held at the stadium three weeks earlier. It isn’t a good look, but didn’t appear to cause any problems for the players.

Leeds Rhinos: Handley, Roberts, Martin, Edwards, Tindall, Gannon, Myler, Lisone, O’Connor, Walters, McDonnell, Ruan, Smith. Subs Holroyd, Donaldson, Sinfield, Field, Gibbons, Edgell, Nicholson-Watton, Morgan, Aldridge.

Bradford Bulls: Walker, Blackmore, Arundel, Gill, Foggin-Johnston, Holmes, Patton, Foster, Lilley, Rogers, Wallace, Thompson, Butler. Subs

Referee: James Vella (Australia).

Attendance: 4,448.