Match report by Emma Holley
Trinity made it three wins on the bounce on Thursday; this time with a comfortable 30-6 win over Yorkshire rivals and 2020 Challenge Cup winners, Leeds Rhinos.
Trinity had set out to finish their season strong, and they are certainly on their way to doing that, as a great team effort saw Max Jowitt claim a hat-trick, and Innes Senior bag himself a five minute brace.
Leeds were without the likes of Tom Briscoe, Konrad Hurrell and Richie Myler, and Trinity capitalised on the matter, to secure an emphatic victory.
Trinity would be the dominant side from the start, and opened the scores eleven minutes in.
Innes Senior made a break on the right edge and raced away down the touch-line, before offloading to Max Jowitt who was there in support.
It wouldn’t be long before Jowitt would impress again, with his second try in just ten minutes.
Miller’s quick pass sent Tom Johnstone sprinting away down the opposite edge this time, and Jowitt was there once again for his team-mate, and slid over beside the posts.
Trinity’s next try would see some Fifita magic, as the Big Bopper shrugged off three Leeds defenders in trademark fashion, to crash over and earn Trinity their third try of the match.
The expansive play in the first half continued, as on the stroke of half-time, Jowitt starred again, scoring his hat-trick, as he caught the Leeds defence off guard and crashed over.
At 20-0, the score-line leaned greatly in Trinity’s favour at the break, but Chris Chester’s men still had a lot more to show for themselves.
But the tables would turn, as the second half showcased a very resilient Trinity side, who were forced to defend for long periods of time, unlike the first half where were in possession of the ball.
Trinity succeeded in keeping the Rhinos side out right until the final quarter, when Ash Handley managed to fumble his way over.
Trinity’s tough defence would prove very hard to break however, as Handley’s try was the only one for Leeds of the night. Richard Agar’s side were denied by the video referee for what was thought to be their second from Oledzki.
As the final ten minutes approached, Trinity weren’t finished yet, and it would be Innes Senior’s time to shine.
A set restart call gifted Trinity the well-needed field possession, and Reece Lyne fooled his defenders, to get the pass away to Senior, who squeezed in at the corner.
Kelepi Tanginoa would be denied a try from the video referee in the dying minutes, but Senior made up for it.
It was Ryan Hampshire with the try assist, as he produced a looping pass to send Senior over once more; topping off another fantastic night.
As a performance oozing with confidence, Trinity have shown that they can be a competitive side, and the substandard results Trinity were producing just a weeks back…seem like a long time ago.
Speaking to Sky Sports post-match, Chester said: “We’ve played with a smile on our faces these past three games and come up some good performances.”
“We’ve shown tonight that we can beat the best when we put our minds to it.”
This will impressively be Trinity’s third win in seven days, and they will be aiming to make it four wins from four on Sunday, and continue to build on the consistency.
It’s another quick turnaround for Trinity, as they’re set to play Leeds Rhinos once more, but this time on home turf, K.O. 2pm.
–
Trinity: Jowitt, Johnstone, Tupou, Lyne, Senior, Hampshire, Miller, Westerman, Tanginoa, Batchelor, Fifita, Crowther, Arona. Subs: K. Wood, Tangata, Battye, B. Walker.
Tries: Jowitt (11, 21, 39), Fifita (28), Senior (73, 78)
Goals: Hampshire (3/6)
Rhinos: Walker, Handley, L. Sutcliffe, A. Sutcliffe, L. Briscoe, Gale, Lui, Thompson, Mellor, Martin, Seumanufagai, Leeming, Oledzki, Dwyer, Smith, Ferres, Holroyd.
Tries: Handley (61)
Goals: Martin (1/1)
Man of the match: Max Jowitt