Hall double helps Leeds overpower St Helens

Leeds 18 St Helens 1

Leeds as good as ensured that they will finish on top of Super League for the first time since 2004, usurping the position that Saints have made their own since then.

Two points ahead and with a superior points difference, the Rhinos just need to avoid a heavy defeat at Salford next week to go into the play-offs as league leaders. Two accomplished pieces of finishing from Ryan Hall were the difference last night, in a match which, for its intensity at least, would not have looked out of place at in the play-off final at Old Trafford.

In search of attacking rhythm, Saints came up with a complex piece of fine tuning that involved Paul Wellens and Leon Pryce alternating at full-back. It was Wellens who made the try-saving tackle on Danny McGuire after Lee Smith's intercept had threatened, but Pryce, who made the next tackle from an offside position, earned himself 10 minutes in the sin-bin.

Leeds did not exploit their one-man advantage and worse still, they fell behind to the Saints when a superb pass from James Graham sent Lee Gilmour through. They trailed until Carl Ablett twisted over from dummy half.

The match remained deadlocked until two minutes before half-time, when Leeds opened up Saints, Hall going over from Keith Senior's pass.

Saints bounced back at the start of the second half, when Chris Flannery scored from a pass by Kyle Eastmond. The Senior-Hall combination struck again on the hour, with the winger dancing over before Sinfield' penalty made it safe.

Both sides suffered injuries – Sinfield with a suspected cheek bone fracture and Graham with a shoulder injury from what he claims was a "chicken wing tackle" by Jamie Jones-Buchanan. Graham was also alleged to have gestured towards the Leeds crowd. "It just shows how much he cares," said his coach, Mick Potter.

Leeds: Webb; Donald, Smith, Senior, Hall; McGuire, Burrow; Leuluai, Diskin, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Ablett, Sinfield. Substitutes used: Lauitiiti, Burgess, Kirke, Bailey.

St Helens: Pryce; Gardner, Gidley, Wellens, Meli; Eastmond, Long; Graham, Cunningham, Puletua, Gilmour, Flannery, Wilkin. Substitutes used: Hargreaves, Roby, Clough, Fa'asavalu.

Referee: P Bentham (Warrington).