Leeds run in nine tries past woeful Huddersfield

Rhyse Martin (centre) scored 26 of Leeds Rhinos' 54 points against Huddersfield Giants

Leeds Rhinos ended their three-match Super League losing streak by thrashing Huddersfield Giants in emphatic style on an emotional night at Headingley.

Leeds ran in nine tries with stand-off Blake Austin dictating the game.

Huddersfield were out of the running by half time to slip to a seventh defeat in their last eight matches.

The big win was a fitting way for Leeds to honour Burrow, 40, who announced in 2019 that he had motor neurone disease. Friday's match was dedicated to awareness of the disease.

Rhyse Martin kicked eight conversions and a penalty to add to his two tries for a personal haul of 26 points.

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This was a meeting of two West Yorkshire teams in dreadful form, both having lost six of their previous seven games in all competitions.

Leeds had the added ignominy of becoming the first Super League team to lose to bottom club Wakefield two weeks ago, a defeat that drew strong criticism.

With Burrow and his family on the pitch before this game, and the sentiment palpable in the Headingley air, there was little doubt about the result this time, from the off.

Sam Walters crashed over for the first try and the mercurial Austin slipped through two tackles to set up Richie Myler for the second.

Another classy feint and break gave winger Ash Handley a simple finish and with Giants in defensive disarray David Fusitu'a marked his return from a long injury absence by finishing another sweeping Leeds move on the other flank.

There was no let-up in the second half as Aidan Sezer and Myler combined to send James McDonnell over.

Innes Senior was sin-binned for holding on to Handley after a brilliant try-saving tackle and Leeds pressed home their advantage as Corey Johnson brilliantly drove for the posts on the last and flipped a pass for Walters to crash over for his second try.

It was now exhibition stuff from the Rhinos as another superb Austin break and deft Myler kick was gathered by Martin, and Fusitu'a grabbed his second, falling over the line after gathering Myler's kick to the corner.

Martin rounded off the scoring to top the 50-point mark after sharp work by Handley out wide, with the Papua New Guinea international converting to make it 26 points.

Leeds: Myler; Fusitua, Martin, Roberts, Handley; Austin, Sezer; Oledzki, O'Connor, Walters, Bentley, McDonnell, Smith.

Interchanges: Johnson, Lisone, Donaldson, Sangare.

Huddersfield: Pryce; Senior, Bibby, Naiqama, McGillvary; Russell, Fages; Hill, Peats, Greenwood, Cudjoe, McQueen, Yates.

Interchanges: Wilson, Ashworth, Ikahihifo, Lolohea.

Referee: Ben Thaler.

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