Wakefield secure first win of season against Leeds

Leon Ruan powers over for a try on his Leeds Rhinos debut against Wakefield to level the scores

Wakefield chalked up their first win of the Super League season in the West Yorkshire derby against Leeds.

The league's bottom club led 10-0 with Jack Croft and Romain Franco tries only for Leeds to level by half-time.

But after Ash Handley was sin-binned Trinity pulled clear as Matty Ashurst and Morgan Smith added further scores.

Despite their poor form, the Rhinos were big favourites to prevail against a Wakefield side that had not won a league game since they surprised St Helens in August of last year.

In hot conditions at Belle Vue, Trinity began strongly as winger Lee Kershaw pated down a Will Dagger kick and Jack Croft burrowed over, and then French winger Romain Franco marked his debut with a second try.

The ten-point lead was wiped out in short order by Rhinos as Richie Myler sent Cameropn Smith in for a try and 20-year-old prop Leon Ruan powered over for a debut try from another Myler pass.

The dismissal of Salabio just five minutes into the second half seemed to sound the death knell for Wakefield hopes but after Blake Austin had kicked out on the full from a goal-line drop-out, Dagger restored the home side's lead.

Austin made amends for his sloppiness, exploiting a big gap in the Trinity defence to stride over and put Leeds ahead for the first time.

Dagger again hauled Trinity level with a penalty and when Ash handley was sin-binned for obstruction, Mark Applegarth's side took full advantage of numerical equality.

Leading scorer Matty Ashurst span over for his fourth of the season, Morgan Smith capitalised on Myler's error under a high kick, and with Dagger adding the second conversion Wakefield were home and dry.

Wakefield: Jowitt; Kershaw, Croft, Kay, Franco; Dagger, Smith; Proctor, Bowes, Battye, Hewitt, Ashurst, Pitts

Interchanges: Law, Eseh, Salabio, Fifita (Shaw)

Leeds: Handley; MacDonald, Roberts, Martin, Tindall; Austin, Myler; Oledzki, O'Connor, Walters, McDonnell, Bentley, Smith

Interchanges: Johnson, Donaldson, Ruan, Sangare (Olpherts)

Referee: Aaron Moore

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