Leeds Rhinos 'little bit unfortunate' says St Helens coach Paul Wellens after golden-point defeat
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It was all-square after 80 minutes and the sides were 32 seconds away from sharing the points when Lewis Dodd landed Saints’ sudden-death winning drop goal.
Leeds lost Aidan Sezer, Harry Newman and Morgan Gannon to injury in the first half and James McDonnell was sent off late in normal time.
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Hide AdEven so, they led 12-4 at the break, had two touchdowns ruled out on video evidence and saw an extra-time penalty drop short.
Afterwards, the Saints coach was full of admiration for Rhinos, admitting: “If I am totally honest, I think Leeds are probably a little bit unfortunate they didn’t get something from the game.”
Wellens said: “I have got to pay them huge credit. Their players were dropping like nine-pins at one point, their interchange was all messed up, but what they showed was a real competitiveness as a group.
“They made us work to the very last seconds, obviously, to get that victory. I am sure, despite the loss, Rohan [Smith, Rhinos’ coach] is very proud of their players and the way they performed. They were certainly a very challenging and competitive team for us to go up against.”
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Hide AdWellens admitted his overwhelming emotion at the end was “relief”. He stressed Saints need to be better in drop goal situations and are “making too many mistakes”.
He said: “Obviously I was pleased we got the win, but I’ve said to the team we have got to learn some lessons.
“That result could very easily, maybe should have, gone the other way. There’s arguments either way there, but it’s always a lot easier when you can learn tough lessons with the two points in the bag.
“We are pleased about that, but there’s certain areas of our game we need to improve on. The lads have identified those areas already and I’m confident we will make those improvements.”
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Hide AdMcDonnell was shown a red card for allegedly punching Saints’ Jonny Lomax in a melee. Wellens reflected: “There’s always a lot of emotion in Leeds-Saints games.
“I think it stems from the fact we’ve contested a lot of big games with each other in recent history. I love that, it’s what makes for a wonderful occasion like [Friday].
“I am sure people in the ground and at home could see it was two committed teams giving absolutely everything in terms of effort and energy to try and win a game.
“In terms of quality, it probably wasn’t where it needed to be, but sometimes games - and tight games in particular - can bring that out in teams.
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Hide Ad“I love these type of occasions. I love coming to Headingley, always have done. It is a great place to come and play rugby and always a huge challenge. That’s why I am so pleased we’ve come away with a win.”