Leeds Rhinos climbed back to the summit of the Super League table on points difference following a dominant and uncommon victory away against St Helens. The comprehensive result marks the club's first away triumph at this ground since March of 2023.

Before kickoff at the Brewdog Stadium, a minute of silence was observed impeccably by the crowd to honor the memory of the late Sir Billy Boston. Once the action began, the visitors seized the initiative when a clever short pass from Jake Connor enabled Chris Hankinson to force his way over from short distance for the opening score.

Leeds thought they had doubled their advantage almost immediately as Cooper Jenkins crossed beneath the posts, but the effort was chalked off after an official ruled that Brodie Croft had thrown a forward pass. St Helens weathered temporary pressure while reduced to twelve players following a sin-binning, though they too saw a score disallowed when a wide pass to Deon Cross was judged forward.

The visitors soon seized control of the contest through a brilliant piece of individual brilliance from Cameron Smith. The second-row forward shrugged off a tackle, outpaced the defensive line, and slid over to extend the advantage.

A third try arrived before the interval when sharp passing orchestrated by Connor freed Ash Handley, who supplied the final pass for Harry Newman to touch down uncontested. With Connor adding the conversion, the visiting side held a commanding eighteen-point cushion at the halftime break.

Tom Holroyd had an early second-half score disallowed for a knock-on under pressure from Tristan Sailor, but a fourth try quickly followed. Jack Bird delivered a clever backhanded offload that allowed veteran winger Ryan Hall to ground the ball for the latest milestone in his remarkable career.

St Helens finally responded when Jack Welsby sliced through the midfield defense with a blistering run, leaving the chasing tacklers behind to register an impressive individual score of his own. However, any hopes of a home comeback were swiftly extinguished as Connor's tactical kicking game unlocked the defense once more.

Connor first placed a precise grubber kick for Handley to chase down and score, then repeated the trick to find his half-back partner Croft, who touched down off the upright. Connor finished the evening with five successful goals despite hitting the woodwork late in the match.

The victory leaves Leeds in prime position to claim their first League Leaders' Shield in eleven years. They will host second-placed Wigan Warriors next Saturday in a blockbuster showdown that will decide the trophy.

Meanwhile, the defeat delivers a major setback to St Helens and their ambitions of reaching the postseason. They remain two points adrift of the sixth-positioned Robins with only two fixtures remaining, leaving them with a difficult path that requires victories over Leigh and Hull KR to salvage a play-off berth.

Reporting based on coverage first published by BBC Sport. Read the original report at BBC Sport.