Salford 24-50 Leeds: Rhinos leapfrog Red Devils in Super League table

Match Stats: Salford 24-50 Leeds

Salford tries: Wood (6), Murdoch-Masila (41,73), Dobson (64)
Goals: Dobson (6, 41 ,64, 73) 

Leeds tries: Hall (13), Briscoe (21, 38), Watkins (23), Parcell (25), Moon (32), Jones-Buchanan (34), Mullally (68), Walker (80)
Goals: Watkins (13, 23, 25), Lilley (34, 62, 68, 80) 

Match report

Leeds turned on the style against Salford to leapfrog them into second place in the Betfred Super League with a clinical 50-24 victory at the AJ Bell Stadium.

Winger Tom Briscoe scored two of the Rhinos' nine tries, seven of which came in the first half as the visitors established an unassailable 36-6 lead and comfortably withstood a second-half fightback from the Red Devils to secure a 14th win of the season.

The only disappointment for the Rhinos was the loss of England centre Kallum Watkins through concussion which makes him a major doubt for Friday's home game against fourth-placed Hull, a rehearsal for the Challenge Cup semi-final at the end of the month.

Watkins was laid out 29 minutes into the game by a high tackle from Salford centre Junior Sa'u, who was sin-binned on his 100th appearance for the club.

Leeds, boosted by the return of skipper Danny McGuire and evergreen forward Jamie Jones-Buchanan from suspension, took full advantage of the extra man, running in three tries while Sa'u watched on from the sidelines.

Yet there was little to suggest such a one-sided nature of the game after Salford made the brighter start.

Second rower Weller Hauraki was held up over the line on three minutes and - two minutes later - hooker Josh Wood opening the scoring with his first try of the season after Briscoe had fumbled Rob Lui's high kick.

Michael Dobson added the goal to make it 6-0 but that was as good as it got for the home side as the Rhinos hit their straps to run in seven tries in 25 minutes.

Second rower Carl Ablett had a try disallowed for a double movement before England winger Ryan Hall charged over for an equalising score on 12 minutes.

Sa'u pulled off a stunning last-ditch tackle to deny Briscoe but Salford had no answer to the silky skills of Watkins, who put his winger over for his first try and dummied his way over for one himself.

Watkins' try followed a clean break by in-form hooker Matt Parcell, who forced his way over from dummy half for Leeds' fourth try on 24 minutes.

Watkins took his goal tally to three from four attempts before he was felled by Sa'u and, after treatment on the field, went off to play no further part in the game.

However, Leeds made light of the resulting re-shuffle, with Jordan Lilley joining McGuire in the halves and Joel Moon reverting to his old centre spot and scoring the next try - his 15th of the season - after Hall had brought down McGuire's high kick.

Salford were down to 12 men at the time and the visitors made the most of their numerical advantage to add two further tries in Sa'u's absence, Parcell and McGuire combining to get Jones-Buchanan over and Briscoe racing onto McGuire's inch-perfect kick to notch his second.

Lilley added one conversion as Leeds led 36-6 at the break and - although Salford were much-improved - it was a comfortable cushion.

The Red Devils' strong-running second rower Ben Murdoch-Masilla burst through for two tries, taking his tally for the season to 13, and Dobson went over from dummy half, while Leeds' only points in the second half came from tries by substitute prop Anthony Mullally and teenage full-back Jack Walker, plus three goals from Lilley.

Match reaction

Salford coach Ian Watson on his side's biggest defeat of the season: "I thought Leeds played really well straight from the kick-off and taught us a lesson on how you play a top-of-the-table clash. It's a lesson we need to learn. We were not happy with the way we started the game. To say we were off is a massive understatement.

"We are normally a group that work really hard for each other but in the first half we our attitude was off. Leeds got on the front foot and played too fast for us. If you can't control the speed of the ruck, you are in for a long day and we were constantly on the back foot."

On their next game against Castleford on Friday: "That's another top-end-of-the-table clash for us. As a group, we always learn from our previous games and hopefully we can do that."

Rhinos coach Brian McDermott on veteran skipper Danny McGuire: "His involvement is still of an extremely high quality and it was the most dominant I've seen Ryan Hall for some time. I thought we were outstanding in the first half and I thought we were very committed in the second half when Salford made more of a contest of it.

"In the past when we've had a chance to perhaps go top or second, we haven't quite grasped it but we looked very focused in the first half. Salford are not in a false position, we knew they are a good team, and sometimes you have got to fear the opposition to bring out the best in you. We were on our guard.

"I don't have much of an issue with the second half because it was more about Salford switching on and being good than us dropping off. It was the first dry track we've been on for a while and I think that played a part. Offensively, that's as good as we've been for a long time."

Salford on the fan who appeared to throw a drink in the direction of referee James Child at the end of the game: "Seeing your team lose a game is not a justifiable reason to attempt to intimidate a match official or opponent. What happened at the end of the game was idiotic and the person responsible has tarnished the name of our great club.

"We would like to sincerely apologise to James Child and his colleagues."