Leeds advance to playoff semi-finals after tempestuous win over Catalans

Having unexpectedly being thrust into the British sporting limelight on Friday evening, Leeds Rhinos did not disappoint. Two months ago, they looked anything but a side capable of making the playoffs, let alone an 11th Super League Grand Final.

But if history has taught us anything, it is that you write this club off at your peril. Leeds are no strangers to winning Super League from as low as fifth, having done it twice already. But this, even by their standards, is some story they are writing. When Rohan Smith arrived at Headingley in May, the Rhinos were genuine relegation contenders. Fast forward to the present day and 12 wins in 17 games later and Leeds, incredibly, are 80 minutes from the Grand Final in a fortnight’s time.

Here, on a day when no other British sporting side was in action, Leeds took centre stage in impressive fashion. They survived a tempestuous and fiery atmosphere in the south of France on and off the field to set up a semi-final with St Helens or Wigan next weekend. Leeds managed the occasion superbly, which is less than can be said for Catalans, who completely self-combusted on the biggest night of their season.

The Dragons received three yellow cards and one red following a litany of lapses in discipline. That meant they were never really able to pose too much of a threat to Leeds, with Liam Sutcliffe’s hat-trick ultimately proving to be enough to secure a safe passage to the semi-finals. “I thought we were very controlled,” Smith said. “We controlled the majority of the game despite the scoreboard. I’ve had a lot of belief in this group but we’ve still got a tough road to go through.”

The game was punctured at what felt like every juncture with stoppages. Most of them came after melees and