Leeds Rhinos Under-18s extended their winning streak to five games in 2026 with a 34-6 triumph against Huddersfield Giants Under-18s. Three tries from Tom Richardson aided Chev Walker’s side to victory.
Rhinos Score Early and Often
The Rhinos started strong, scoring a try in the opening minutes. Evan Jones made a half break before offloading for Jack Mears to race free. Mears passed to Wade White to score the opening try.
Jones then shifted from assister to finisher. Despite younger squad members deputising in new positions, Walkers’ side showed fluidity. A struggling Giants lineup couldn’t click into gear to stop relentless Leeds attacks. A short pass from Seth Marchant put Jones through a hole to finish under the posts.
Leeds threatened to post another high scoreline when a clever 40/20 kick from Mears led to Richardson finishing a wide move in the corner. Sonny Hetherington continued his hot scoring streak. Quick thinking by Marchant from a Max Leach knock on saw Marchant move the ball wide to Hetherington to stretch out to score. Marchant slotted two of four conversions to make the score 20-0.
Giants Briefly Respond Before Rhinos Reassert Control
An error from the restart by substitute Ryan Hosier allowed Huddersfield to score their only points. Harvey Barker’s desperate drive for the line was held up by strong Leeds goal line defence. A lapse in concentration allowed Jude Jackson to force his way over the line from dummy half for a consolation score.
The Rhinos were unlucky not to have a larger lead at the break as Cobi Ellis’ effort was ruled out for a forward pass. Huddersfield’s Barker was halted by White and Wilkinson to send the teams into the break at 20-6.
Rhinos Dominate the Second Half
The second half mirrored the first, with the Rhinos rounding off their performance with three more tries. The Giants forced Leeds to defend goal line pressure after the break, but the Rhinos’ rewards came in the shape of Richardson. Jacob Tooala ignited the attack with a break that should have seen the centre score himself. Marchant and White combined to put Richardson over in the corner for his second.
Dan Shepherd came as close as the Giants got to points when Jack Twigg’s kick allowed winger Shepherd to rise above White. Great cover defence saw the full back force the Huddersfield attacker out of play. The Rhinos once again rewa