After meeting in round two, the Salford Red Devils and Leeds
Rhinos were thrown together again for a Thursday night round seven encounter as
the home side lurched from one disaster to the next, the bookies suggesting
that there was simply no way that the Red Devils could get a win.

Salford named just seven of the players who took to the
field on the 22^nd of February in the 6-32 loss to the Rhinos as the
ongoing ‘fire sale’ of players does untold damage to the club currently second
bottom with just the single win over fellow strugglers Huddersfield Giants to
show for their toils in 2025.

The home side had been given a twenty-point start on the coupon,
but many pundits feared that the recently resurgent Rhinos would run in a ‘cricket
score’ with any win lifting the Rhinos into fifth place.

It took fifteen seconds for the Rhinos to lose Keenan Palasia
after a shoulder contact to the head, with mitigation, on Chris Atkin.

Despite being a man down, the Rhinos were on the front foot
taking the game to the Red Devils and spending most of the time in their opponent’s
half of the field. Returning to full numbers they eased off the gas and Salford
started to get some meaningful ball and to work their way downfield.

The deadlock was finally broken on twenty-one when James
McDonnell took a delightful back-handed offload from Jake Connor to crash over
from five metres out. Connor hit the far post with his conversion attempt,
Leeds with just four points to show for their endeavours.

Leeds became increasingly frustrated by a great defensive
Salford effort. The only other score of the half came after the half time hooter
when Lachlan Miller kicked a penalty from under the posts after Salford interference
at the play the ball.

Leeds had most of the possession and position, but it came
to almost nothing as the sides went into the interval with just six points
between them.

A minute after the restart the Rhinos went in for their
second, and a second for McDonnell who supported Harry Newman and Ryan Hall as
they interchanged down the right wing, the second rower with the rugby
equivalent of ‘goal hanging’. Miller added the conversion; Leeds had doubled
their half time lead a minute into the second half.

McDonnell completed his hat-trick on forty-five, this time
pouncing on a second tackle Jake Connor grubber as he went between two Salford
defenders to dive over. Miller was unable to add he extras on this occasion.

A sensational Connor 40-20 saw Leeds starting a set ten from
the Salford line, but Leeds spilled the ball on the fourth tackle.

The Rhinos were again down to twelve men on fifty-five, this
time Mikolaj Oledzki being sin-binned for the use of the shoulder in the
tackle, again with mitigation.

A sixty-first minute scoot and lunge for the line from Harry
Newman was ruled out by the video referee for a double movement, the Rhinos
giving up the ball on the first play of the set.

Once again back to full complement, Miller scored under the
sticks after chasing a Morgan Gannon grubber towards the sticks. The Salford
defence split apart to allow the Leeds fullback to collect and score under the
sticks. Miller added the extras for 22-0.

Connor was again the provider, and James McDonnell again the
beneficiary as the Rhinos half-back threw the dummy, dropped the shoulder, and
found his second rower in support to go over for his fourth try of the night.
Miller hit the target for his fourth goal of the night, Leeds 28-0 ahead and
heading onside the top six.

The Rhinos made heavy weather of beating a Salford side who
muscled up well in defence but offered nothing but errors and wasted
opportunities in attack. McDonnell had a personal success of a night with a four
try haul for the second rower but there will be many Leeds men disappointed
with their performance over eighty minutes which should have done more to
improve their points difference. More pain for Salford, but that’s now expected
in this cruellest of 2025’s for them.

Salford Red Devils: Atkin, Wagstaff, Marsters, Vaughan,
Glover B, Nikorima, Morgan, Ormondroyd, Mellor, Foster, Wright, Shorrocks,
Wilson. Subs: Davis, Sangare, Pye, Hill G. 18^th Man: Yates.

Leeds Rhinos:  Miller
(T, G 4/5), Hall, Handley, Newman, Hall, Lumb, Frawley, Connor (G 0/1), Oledzki
(SB on 55), O’Connor, Jenkins, Bentley, McDonnell (4T), Palasia (SB on 1).  Subs: Lisone, Holroyd, Gannon, Sinfield. 18^th
Man: Nicholson-Watton.

Half-Time: 0-6.

Full-Time: 0-28.  

Score Progression: (SB), 0-4, 0-6 : HT: 0-10, 0-12, 0-16,
(SB), 0-20, 0-22, 0-26, 0-28 :FT.

Lead Exchanges: Leeds.

Referee: Liam Rush.