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Rugby League

Leeds power to Grand Final win

13/10/2007

Leeds Rhinos claimed the Super League title with a crushing 33-6 win over St Helens in the Grand Final at Old Trafford this evening.

In a pulsating final, Leeds scored four second half tries through Ali Lauitiiti, Scott Donald, Lee Smith and Jamie Jones-Buchanan to cruise to a famous win.

St Helens, who were looking to win an unprecedented second treble, had a major boost before the game as scrum-half Sean Long passed a fitness test to start the game.

And it was the Saints who got off to the better start, dominating with their forwards in the first ten minutes. But Long failed to convert their only point scoring opportunity as he missed a penalty.

Leeds withheld everything St Helens through at them and even managed to take the lead as captain Kevin Sinfield converted a penalty after Saints were penalised for offside.

The Rhinos extended their lead with a try five minutes later when Jon Wilkin had a kick charged down and Leeds worked the ball to the left wing for full-back Brent Webb to score the try.

Leeds dominated possession after the try but a silly high tackle from Danny McGuire cost his side dearly. St Helens took advantage of the penalty to go up field and Long burst through the Rhinos defence to allow James Roby to go over. Long kicked the extra two points as his team went in at the break only 8-6 down.

The second half started in a similar fashion to the first as St Helens dominated early on but again failed to score any points; Leeds making them pay by scoring two tries in as many minutes.

First Lauitiiti bulldozed over three Saints players to score a try and then Donald found space on the left-wing and ran the length of the pitch to add another. Sinfield kicked both conversions to put his side almost out of sight.

The quick tries seemed to knock the stuffing out of St Helens and Smith and Jones-Buchanan took advantage of a tired Saints defence to score late tries, which cemented a well-deserved win.