The smile on Rob Burrow’s face with 10 minutes remaining said it better than anything else could. The legendary Leeds Rhinos scrum-half and his family have made no secret of their love for the club, the city of Leeds and the wider rugby league community given the way they have supported his fight against motor neurone disease over the last three years.
But on the night of the Rhinos’ annual MND awareness game, you suspected there was only one thing Burrow really wanted: to see his beloved club that he served with such pride put on a show. How they did that here against an admittedly hapless Huddersfield side to reignite their Super League playoff hopes, and how fitting it was a performance littered with the kind of free-flowing, entertaining play that made Burrow a rugby league superstar.
Leeds have been cumbersome all too often in 2023. But here, in front of Burrow and his family, they reserved some of their very best stuff. They were far too good for the Giants, scoring nine wonderful tries to keep their hopes of the top six on track.
“It was a fitting performance to acknowledge all that happened tonight,” the Leeds coach, Rohan Smith, said. “I’m very pleased. Lots of the players have got a friendship with Rob and they understand what he’s doing for the MND community, inspiring people to fight. It was a fitting team display in that regard.”
However, while Leeds were a joy to watch, Huddersfield were quite the opposite. They are Super League’s big under-achievers in 2023 and are now nervously looking over their shoulders at the bottom, rather than challenging for honours.
They have been abysmal on too many occasions this year but this was by far their worst display of the year, and the pressure is beginning to intensify on their coach, Ian Watson, you feel. “I wouldn’t say I’m not worried,” he said afterwards. “You’re always worried when you lose. But it’s not going to be nice now. There will be some tough conversations but if we want to take the club forward, then that’s what’s got to happen. I know what I need to do.”
Three tries in the opening quarter set the tone for the evening. Sam Walters was first to cross before two wonderful pieces of play from Blake Austin led to Richie Myler and Ash Handley crossing.
David Fusitu’a then scored Leeds’ fourth minutes before the break to make it 22-0, and any hopes of an unlikely Huddersfield comeback were eliminated within four minutes of the restart when yet more free-flowing rugby from Leeds involving Aidan Sezer and Myler led to James McDonnell scoring.
But as impressive as Leeds’ attack was, Huddersfield’s defence was nothing short of horrific. Walters claimed his second on the hour mark before a superb passage of free-flowing rugby led to Rhyse Martin scoring a magnificent try, on his way to collecting 26 of Leeds’ 54 points.
Myler then delivered a pinpoint kick for Fusitu’a to claim his second, before a sensational flick pass from Handley led to Martin scoring his second of the evening. It was a scoreline, and a margin of victory, that Leeds thoroughly deserved.
Shortly after Fusitu’a’s second, as the game reached its conclusion, the biggest cheer of the night was reserved for Burrow and his family when they appeared on the big screen. Burrow’s smile said it all. Off the field, Leeds delivered once again for one of their favourite sons but on it, the players certainly played their part too. Above all though, it is nights like these which underline how some things are more important than rugby: and Burrow’s unique bond with this city is one of those.
