Rugby League: Sterling cashes in for Leeds

Leeds Rhinos 34 Warrington Wolves 3

THREE TRIES from Paul Sterling and two glaring errors last night cost Warrington their chance of the victory they needed to sustain their top-five hopes.

Warrington had just taken the lead with 10 minutes to go through Steve McCurrie when the same player lost the ball in his first drive from the kick- off. Iestyn Harris's long pass then gave the 35-year-old Sterling the simplest try of his hat-trick, but the game was still in the balance until Alan Hunte committed the second blunder.

In trying to force the ball back over his own try line, he succeeded only in dropping it and Andy Hay picked up for his second try. Although McCurrie came back with a late effort for Warrington, the game was lost.

"There was a lot of hard work went in there and there was nothing wrong with our commitment," said the Warrington coach, Darryl Van de Velde, "But it's going to be very difficult to make the play-offs now."

After taking an early pounding, Warrington grabbed the lead with a try out of the blue after Hay had conceded a scrum with a knock-on, Scott Wilson caught the Leeds defence asleep with his pass to Mark Forster and another veteran winger raced away to score.

Leeds responded with two converted tries, both of which also owed something to slack defence. Daryl Powell's pass put Mark Glanville through a yawning gap for the first, before Sterling produced a memorable second.

The winger specialises in long-range tries and this was one of his best, taking the ball from Harris deep in his own half and bursting through to go 75 yards to touch down.

Warrington exerted plenty of pressure after that, but proved incapable of getting their most dangerous player, Toa Kohe- Love into the play.

Instead Lee Briers chipped away at the lead with two penalties to leave Warrington only two points behind at the break.

Harris's kick through began the move that ended with Sterling scoring his second, three minutes into the second half, but splendid work form Kohe-Love, Hunte and Briers saw Danny Farrar respond for the visitors.

Hunte gave Warrington the lead again, before Harris sent Hay in. When McCurrie crashed over a below par Leeds looked vulnerable, leaving their coach Graham Murray relieved to have got away with the two points that put them into second place.

Leeds Rhinos: Harris; Sterling, Blackmore, Godden, Cummins; Powell, Sheridan; Fleary, Newton, McDermott, Morley, Hay, Glanville. Substitutes used: Mathiou, Masella, Golden, Farrell.

Warrington Wolves: Penny; Hunte, Kohe-Love, Roper, Forster; Wilson, Briers; Nutley, Farrar, Chambers, Gillies, Knotts, Wainwright. Substitutes used: Hanger, McCurrie, Busby.

Referee: S Cummings (Widnes).