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St Helens Foundation Academy 44 v 22 Leeds Rhinos Foundation Academy

By Graham Henthorne, Team Manager

The Foundation Academy maintained their 100% record with a fine victory over a big Rhinos outfit on Saturday.

The victory was founded on their performance in the first quarter of this game as they built up a 24 point lead with some scintillating rugby league.

Marshalled admirably by hooker Callum Welsby, the props Jack Francis and Jordan Case repeatedly tore holes in the Rhinos defence. It was Welsby who opened the scoring starting and finishing the move darting in from dummy half as the markers ambled back to the line.

In the next set Jordan O’Neill made a break from half way and with Marcus Baines in support he did the right thing taking it to the full back and committing him before feeding Baines who out sprinted the winger to score at the posts.

The Saints were rampant at this stage and quick thinking from Welsby again caught the Rhinos asleep on the blind side. He darted out of dummy half and fed the outstanding Ste Yates who broke through on half way. He offloaded over the top of the defenders heads to his winger James Hill. He took it on and as he was being forced into touch found Yates again who dummied the pass inside to the supporting Joe Greenwood and strode away to score a fine try.

The Rhinos were being forced into making mistakes piggybacking Saints into their half and the Saints capitalised in full with Jordan Case bursting onto the ball, stretching over the line and Kristian Bell kicking his fourth goal.

But then the coin flipped and it was the Saints who started to cough up the ball. The Rhinos enjoyed the possession and field position and it was the Saints who found themselves under the cosh.

The Rhinos got on a roll and scored three converted tries in the final 15 minutes of the half.

Coaches Eric Frodsham and Ian Lomax addressed the shortcomings of the first half at the break and the players corrected them in the second with a very professional performance.

Good defence forced the error on the Rhinos 20 and John O’Donnell scored the first try of the second half charging onto Kristian Bell’s short ball.

After a fine Baines break down the middle quick thinking on the last from Bell saw the stand off chip to the vacant left corner. Tom Tunstall found himself fighting off challenges from his own players to touch down.

The forwards were totally in command at this point and Jordan O’Neil was only denied the try his 50 metre break deserved by the Rhinos winger tracking back. But a quick play the ball found Danny Jones charging onto the ball to score untouched under the sticks.

The lead should have been increased five minutes later as Yates broke down the left but was caught inches short. The ball was spread left but Sam Wilson chose to keep the ball with a four man overlap out wide.

Marcus Baines scored his second, and the final one for the Saints, after Kristian Bell’s break. The stand off rather blotted his copy book hitting the posts with his conversion from in front of the sticks.

The Rhinos managed a last minute consolation making the score a bit more respectable but that should not take away from the fact that this was a consummately professional performance.

But for a 15 minute spell the Rhinos were not in the game. The Saints, with Jonathan Fisher sound at the back, Kristian Bell providing the class out wide and Callum Welsby orchestrating the dominant pack, were a force to be reckoned with today.

St Helens Foundation Academy	Leeds Rhinos Foundation Academy
Jonathan Fisher	Ben Holmes
Tom Tunstall	Ryan Smith
Josh Jones	Henry Mingham
Ste Yates	Joe Walker
James Hill	Jamal Chisholm
Kristian Bell	Kyle Quinlan
Marcus Baines	Luke Anderson
Jack Francis	Brad Singleton
Callum Welsby	Matty Scott
Jordan Case	Daniel Smith
Joe Greenwood	Colton Roche
Sam Wilson	Jared Stewart
Jordan O’Neil	Luke Buttery
Adam Mulkern	James Davies
Danny Tyrer	George Clarke
Jordan Hand	Callum Boyle
Gary Loughead	Sam Parker
	Kieron McAvoy
Danny Jones
John O’Donnell	Reuben Holland