Super League Magic Weekend: Leeds 50-16 Bradford - Ash Handley scores hat-trick as Rhinos run riot against Bulls
Leeds extended their lead at the top of the Betfred Super League table with a big victory against rivals Bradford Bulls at Hill Dickinson Stadium; Ash Handley scored a hat-trick of tries and set up two others for the Rhinos who are now four points clear
Last Updated: 05/07/26 6:42pm
Ash Handley scored a hat-trick of tries and set up two others as Leeds Rhinos ran riot against rivals Bradford Bulls to secure a 50-16 victory at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The victory saw the Rhinos extend their lead at the top of the Betfred Super League table to four points, after running in nine tries against the Bulls.
It was the first time since 2012 that these two rivals had met at Magic Weekend, and Bradford just could not match Leeds' intensity.
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It was Leeds' sixth win on the bounce, and the Rhinos are riding high on momentum, something player-of-the-match Handley is relishing.
"I am just enjoying it," Handley said. "It has been pretty tough at Leeds for a long time and now we have the taste of what it is like at the top.
"We want to get back there and I think it is all down to Brad Arthur and the system he has put in place and the building blocks.
"He demands a lot of us... but I think that is why everyone is playing so well."
How Leeds eased to victory
Leeds were patient at the start, and when the chance to take first blood finally arrived, Brodie Croft grabbed it with both hands.
Croft reacted quickly to capitalise on a beautifully weighted grubber kick from Jarrod O'Connor, before finishing off the move.
The Rhinos kept knocking on the door, and 10 minutes later Chris Hankinson touched down for his sixth try in as many games.
O'Connor, who was excellent throughout, skirted over from dummy-half just before the half-hour mark to give Leeds a commanding lead.
But Bradford, who had struggled to cope with the barrage of attacks from the league leaders, finally hit back through a sublime piece of individual play from Caleb Aekins, who bulldozed through two Rhinos defenders on his way to the tryline.
Leeds returned serve through James McDonnell, and the Rhinos showed no signs of slowing down, with Handley sandwiching two tries either side of half-time.
Despite going behind by 30 points, the Bulls were not giving up without a fight, with Ethan Ryan scoring two quickfire tries.
"We were down to the last 18 in the changing room so we have done it tough," Bradford coach Kurt Haggerty said.
"In the second half we showed resilience, but we have got to be better."
Chris Atkin first sent a looping pass out to the winger who darted over for the first, before Ryan combined with Aekin for an incredible breakaway score.
The second try was also Ryan's 100th try for the Bulls.
But it was not long before Leeds switched things on again, with Handley popping up a stunning offload from the deck to Connor, for their seventh try of the match.
Handley selflessly gave up an initial chance to score his hat-trick to set up Maika Sivo on the left wing, and he has now impressively scored 16 tries in his last 10 Super League appearances.
It was the player-of-the-match Handley who had the final say, though, with the centre crashing over for his third try of the game at the death.
Super League 2026 - upcoming key dates
- Rivals Round reversed: July 23-July 26
- Elimination Play-offs: September 19-September 20
- Play-off semi-finals: September 26-September 27
- Grand Final: October 3
Sky Sports will show every game of the Super League live this season, including two matches each round exclusively live. The remaining five matches will be broadcast on Sky Sports+. Get Sky Sports or stream contract-free on NOW
