Salford 24-50 Leeds: Rhinos move up to second with clinical win
Last Updated: 09/07/17 6:41pm
Leeds turned on the style against Salford to leapfrog them into second place in the Betfred Super League with a clinical 50-24 victory at the AJ Bell Stadium.
Winger Tom Briscoe scored two of the Rhinos' nine tries, seven of which came in the first half as the visitors established an unassailable 36-6 lead and comfortably withstood a second-half fightback from the Red Devils to secure a 14th win of the season.
The only disappointment for the Rhinos was the loss of England centre Kallum Watkins through concussion which makes him a major doubt for Friday's home game against fourth-placed Hull, a rehearsal for the Challenge Cup semi-final at the end of the month.
Watkins was laid out 29 minutes into the game by a high tackle from Salford centre Junior Sa'u, who was sin-binned on his 100th appearance for the club.
Leeds, boosted by the return of skipper Danny McGuire and evergreen forward Jamie Jones-Buchanan from suspension, took full advantage of the extra man, running in three tries while Sa'u watched on from the sidelines.
Yet there was little to suggest such a one-sided nature of the game after Salford made the brighter start.
Second rower Weller Hauraki was held up over the line on three minutes and - two minutes later - hooker Josh Wood opening the scoring with his first try of the season after Briscoe had fumbled Rob Lui's high kick.
Michael Dobson added the goal to make it 6-0 but that was as good as it got for the home side as the Rhinos hit their straps to run in seven tries in 25 minutes.
Second rower Carl Ablett had a try disallowed for a double movement before England winger Ryan Hall charged over for an equalising score on 12 minutes.
Sa'u pulled off a stunning last-ditch tackle to deny Briscoe but Salford had no answer to the silky skills of Watkins, who put his winger over for his first try and dummied his way over for one himself.
Watkins' try followed a clean break by in-form hooker Matt Parcell, who forced his way over from dummy half for Leeds' fourth try on 24 minutes.
Watkins took his goal tally to three from four attempts before he was felled by Sa'u and, after treatment on the field, went off to play no further part in the game.
However, Leeds made light of the resulting re-shuffle, with Jordan Lilley joining McGuire in the halves and Joel Moon reverting to his old centre spot and scoring the next try - his 15th of the season - after Hall had brought down McGuire's high kick.
Salford were down to 12 men at the time and the visitors made the most of their numerical advantage to add two further tries in Sa'u's absence, Parcell and McGuire combining to get Jones-Buchanan over and Briscoe racing onto McGuire's inch-perfect kick to notch his second.
Lilley added one conversion as Leeds led 36-6 at the break and - although Salford were much-improved - it was a comfortable cushion.
The Red Devils' strong-running second rower Ben Murdoch-Masilla burst through for two tries, taking his tally for the season to 13, and Dobson went over from dummy half, while Leeds' only points in the second half came from tries by substitute prop Anthony Mullally and teenage full-back Jack Walker, plus three goals from Lilley.
