Kyle Feldt sparks St Helens' Challenge Cup cruise against Leeds

The Guardian

14-03-2025

St Helens booked their spot in the quarter-finals of this year's Challenge Cup after inflicting more misery on their great rivals, Leeds Rhinos, exposing some of their early-season weaknesses in the process.
These two sides were Super League's dominant pairing for a prolonged period over the past two decades. But it is a sign of how far behind the competition's chasing pack the Rhinos have fallen when you consider this was their 18th defeat in the past 19 meetings against the Saints.
After a fairly timid first half in which the two teams were split by just a solitary try scored by Kyle Feldt, a blistering eight-minute passage after the break decisively swung this tie the way of the Saints, who once again progress to the last eight of the cup with minimal fuss.
Tries from Tristan Sailor, Matt Whitley and Harry Robertson turned a 6-2 lead into a 20-point advantage in the blink of an eye. And against a Leeds side who, at that point, had not scored a try for over 140 minutes and had laboured in attack all evening, it was ultimately the difference.
Leeds did end their wait for a try when Ash Handley touched down but there was never really any semblance of a comeback – and they have now not won a Challenge Cup tie against Super League opposition for five years. That dates all the way back to 2020, the last time the Rhinos won a major trophy.
The Rhinos were able to welcome back a number of key men here, including fullback Lachie Miller and winger Ryan Hall. Both were important in Leeds establishing the early foothold in a game that initially lacked spark but was just about edged in terms of territory by the visitors.
And their fractional dominance was rewarded just after the midway point in the half, when Jake Connor kicked Leeds into a 2-0 lead from the tee after a penalty close to the St Helens line. But having laboured with the ball to that point, falling behind did at least seem to instil a bit of life into the hosts as half-time approached.
Jonny Lomax's testing kick wasn't dealt with by the Leeds defence and Harry Robertson's clever touch backwards allowed the Saints to recycle the ball, leading to Feldt finishing well in the corner. Mark Percival converted brilliantly from the touchline to give the hosts a four-point lead.
But that was as good as it got for either side in a fairly low quality half. There were few clear-cut chances, with errors dominating the closing moments of the first 40 minutes. The cup tie was clearly in the balance and there to be won, but purely by virtue of the fact that neither side were really delivering what they can be capable of.
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The Saints stepped it up when it mattered after the break. First, the outstanding Robertson cut through to tee up Sailor for a simple finish before Whitley added another three minutes later. Robertson, the latest star to emerge through the St Helens academy, then scored a wonderful effort two minutes later to make it 22-2.
Leeds' effort couldn't be faulted but the truth is that their attack is failing to trouble Super League's best sides so far in 2025. Handley's clever finish from a Jake Connor kick at least ended their lengthy wait for a try, but by the time they scored again, the tie was done.
Their second came through Harry Newman with two minutes remaining but there would be no dramatic finale, and Leeds's ever-increasing wait for a trophy looks set to continue for a while yet.