Leeds Rhinos 24-22 London Broncos: Richard Agar off the mark as interim head coach
By Marc Bazeley at Anfield
Last Updated: 26/05/19 6:59pm
Richard Agar was made to sweat before securing his first victory as Leeds Rhinos interim head coach after a stirring fightback from London Broncos saw them fall just short and go down 24-22 at Magic Weekend.
Tries inside the opening 10 minutes from Liam Sutcliffe and Ash Handley got the Rhinos off to a flying start, but they were unable to keep that up and went in at half time 10-6 up after the Broncos replied with a converted score from Ryan Morgan.
Leeds had opened up a 14-point lead with 11 minutes to go, but two quick converted tries from Jordan Abdull and Alex Walker hauled the Broncos right back into contention and leave the Rhinos clinging on before the final hooter sounded.
Most importantly for Agar's side, the win lifts them two points clear of Super League bottom markers London and brings some much-needed relief for the beleaguered side.
The Rhinos showed some ominous signs early on and were only denied the opening try through Richie Myler on two minutes after referee James Child penalised them for obstruction.
But they were ahead four minutes later when Jack Walker made a penetrating break, setting up an attack which was finished by Sutcliffe keeping his legs pumping in the tackle to force his way over for a try he also converted.
Leeds were in again on nine minutes after a strong carry from Harry Newman had taken them to within striking distance. Brad Dwyer's offload to Trent Merrin saw the back row shift the ball wide again to winger Handley, who burst over in the corner for an unconverted try.
However, a bit of ill-discipline began to creep in for the Rhinos and the Broncos hit back in the 26th minute when Alex Walker set up centre Morgan to go racing through a gap for a try which Kieran Dixon converted from wide on the right.
Leeds regathered some composure after this and showed their attack intent by running the ball from a penalty in a kickable position, only for Harry Newman and interchange hooker Matt Parcell to be held up over the try-line.
The Broncos ended the half with a bright spell but could not unlock the defence, with Myler having to make a last-gasp tackle to deny full-back Walker when he seemed certain to score five minutes before the break.
It took barely three minutes of the second half for Leeds to push further ahead after Abdull had kicked the ball out on the full as scrum-half Myler sent Walker scampering through a gap for an unconverted score.
But when Mikolaj Oledzki knocked on in a tackle, the Broncos made the most of the opportunity and stand-off Abdull made amends for his earlier error, dummying and then darting through six minutes later. However, Dixon was unable to convert.
The Broncos were now in the ascendancy and it needed some strong defence from Leeds to deny try-scorer Morgan and Rhys Williams. But it was the Rhinos who scored next, having broken out from their own half following a strong carry from Walker.
It came with just over 15 minutes to go when Newman picked up the ball from dummy-half and burrowed over from close range after Handley had been stopped just inches short of his second try.
Then with 11 minutes to go, Alex Sutcliffe broke away and although his pass back inside went awry, Myler reacted quickest to the loose ball and scooped it up to score a converted try to put Leeds within touching distance of victory.
London were not done yet though and the decision to go for the short kick-off from the restart proved the right one as they got possession back, followed by Abdull breaking away to add a second try to his name which Dixon converted.
Then in the 74th minute, the Broncos were in again as Jay Pitts slipped a one-handed offload out the back for Walker to go in under the posts, with Dixon's conversion narrowing the gap to just two points.
That set up a grandstand finish, but Leeds managed to hold out for two vital points and deny the Broncos a famous victory.
Match reaction
Leeds Rhinos interim head coach Richard Agar is eyeing areas for improvement following the narrow Magic Weekend win over London Broncos.
Man of the match Liam Sutcliffe believes Leeds can start moving forwards after holding on for victory over the Broncos.
London Broncos head coach Danny Ward was upfront about his team's performance in the narrow loss to Leeds.
