Wakefield 16-18 Leeds: Tom Briscoe scores two tries as Rhinos seal comeback win
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 11/06/17 8:25am
Tom Briscoe scored two tries to help Leeds come from behind and climb back up to third in the Betfred Super League table with an 18-16 victory at Wakefield.
The Rhinos, temporarily deposed by Hull's win at Salford on Friday, conceded quick-fire scores to trail 10-0 after 11 minutes but ran in two tries either side of the half-time to claim their third win in four games.
Trinity responded with their third try with seven minutes but it was too late to prevent the visitors' third successive win at Belle Vue, now known as the Beaumont Legal Stadium.
The result brought to an end a run of six straight wins for a Trinity side that have impressed so many during the past two months. The Rhinos started with possibly their strongest line-up of the campaign with Rob Burrow the only notable absentee through a shoulder injury.
Yet Trinity, strengthened by the return of Mitch Allgood and Dean Hadley, took only six minutes to go in front.
Bill Tupou picked up a Danny McGuire cross-field kick near his own line and fed Mason Caton-Brown who, fresh from hat-trick at Salford the previous week, showed the rapidly regrouping Leeds defence a clean pair of heels as he ran 80 metres for his fifth try in three games.
The Rhinos threatened a quick response when Matt Parcell put Joel Moon, making his 100th appearance in the British game, through but the centre turned half-back lost the ball when he was tackled by the last line of defence.
Kyle Wood was swift to punish Leeds for the wasted opportunity as he darted over from 15 metres out although, having slotted the first conversion, Liam Finn missed his second kick.
Midway through the half, former Leeds man Ben Jones-Bishop spilt a towering Moon bomb and from the resulting scrum Stevie Ward, back after a one match suspension, twisted his way over after Keith Galloway and Brad Singleton juggled the ball for Moon to give the supply pass.
Leeds were quickly in again as Callum Watkins put Briscoe over following a well-worked break down the right, although Liam Sutcliffe failed to master the blustery wind with either conversion attempt.
As the Rhinos continued to press, Carl Ablett knocked on as he tried to twist out of a tackle and edge Leeds in front. Galloway went close then Mitch Garbutt was held up but Trinity held out to maintain their 10-8 advantage into the break.
Sam Williams and Scott Grix exchanged passes to make the first clean break of a scrappy opening to the second half but the latter's final pass only found touch.
Joe Arundel, on his 150th career appearance, was held up after claiming a high Finn kick on the last tackle as Wakefield looked the likeliest to score next.
But it was Leeds who conjured up the try when Moon made to kick on the last tackle, then dummied to cause enough disruption in the home defence for Watkins to put Briscoe in near the corner for his second try to give the Rhinos the lead for the first time.
Sutcliffe again missed the touchline conversion but the Rhinos extended their lead shortly afterwards after a horrendous mistake in the Trinity defence. Moon darted in to pounce for his 13th league try of the season.
Parcell might have extended the Rhinos lead but, having claimed a Moon bomb ahead of Grix, lost control while grounding.
Trinity's hopes of getting back into the game seemed as if they were to be repeatedly thwarted by handling errors until a superb long pass from Sam Williams put Jones-Bishop in at the corner for his 15th try of the season.
Finn landed his second conversion to leave the hosts just two points adrift with seven minutes remaining but Leeds clung on to complete a double over their neighbours, following a 38-14 success at Headingley in mid-March.
