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 Archive > Year > 2007 > Engage English Super League
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Finals Week 2
St Helens 10 d. Leeds Rhinos 8 |
 
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 Click the match link for full match details including teams, scoring details, articles and more Fri September 28 2007, 8:00PM GMT Fri: St Helens 10 d. Leeds Rhinos 8 at Knowsley Road, St Helens, UK Crowd: 12,064 Sat September 29 2007, 7:00PM GMT Sat: Hull FC 18 l. Wigan Warriors 21 at Kingston Communications Stadium, Hull, Yorkshire, UK Crowd: 16,291  St Helens edge out Leeds to qualify for Grand Final Sat September 29, 2007 Source: www.superleague.co.uk Defending engage Super League champions St Helens kept their nerve to squeeze past Leeds Rhinos in a 10-8 thriller and reach their fifth Grand Final. Twenty-year-old scrum-half Matty Smith, deputising for injured talisman Sean Long, was Saints' hero with a match-winning penalty 13 minutes from the end of a pulsating semi-final at Knowsley Road. St Helens were forced to defend for long periods but hung on for a precious victory despite being well below their best. The Rhinos, who had done the double over the Carnegie Challenge Cup winners in the regular rounds of engage Super League, will have a second chance to reach Old Trafford when they play the winners of the sudden-death semi-final between Hull FC and Wigan and, on this form, will still fancy their chances of lifting the title. St Helens, handicapped by the absence of Long and rugged forward Maurie Fa'asavalu, looked the livelier side from the start but they ruined their good work by a host of uncharacteric handling and passing errors. The visitors had opened the scoring but it was firmly against the run of play. Leeds right winger Lee Smith, who had narrowly failed to pull off an interception in the opening moments, made no mistake when he latched onto Jon Wilkin's pass meant for Willie Talau and showed a clean pair of heels on an 80-metre sprint to the line. Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfield added the conversion and had the misfortune to shave the outside of an upright with a penalty after Saints prop Nick Fozzard was pulled up for illegal use of his arm in the tackle. The try did not deter the champions from their free-flowing football, however, and they duly equalised on 15 minutes when stand-off Leon Pryce cut back inside and wrong-footed the Leeds defence with his jinking run that took him all the way to the line. Smith kicked the conversion and edged his side in front after 21 minutes with a penalty after he had been held down following a searing break. But the champions had a let-off when a grubber kick from Leeds hooker Matt Diskin rebounded off a post into the grateful arms of full-back Paul Wellens with a trio of attacking players ready to pounce. Leeds drew level 10 minutes into the second half when St Helens centre Matthew Gidley was punished for a high tackle on Ian Kirke and Sinfield put over a 40-metre penalty. When Saints were awarded a penalty in a similar position, they chose to run the ball but their enterprise floundered when Gidley lost the ball on the first tackle. Leeds, grateful for the let-off, almost scored at the other end when Saints passing broke down and it needed Paul Wellens to come to the rescue after substitute Jordan Tansey hacked the loose ball forward to the line. Saints followers needed no reminding that their team failed to score in the second half of both previous encounters with Leeds this season and the possibility of extra-time loomed as the game entered the final quarter. Leeds scrum-half Rob Burrow attempted to break the deadlock on 65 minutes with a drop goal but his kick struck an upright and bounced back into play. Smith was accurate enough with a second penalty after Jamie Peacock had been pulled up for a high tackle on Fozzard to edge his side back in front but Saints were indebted to a last-ditch tackle from the bloodied Gidley to deny Brent Webb in full flight for the line. Report source: www.superleague.co.uk Article: Matt adds gloss for Anderson Super League Play-Offs Week 2 Preview Fri September 28, 2007 Source: www.superleague.co.uk engage Super League Play-Off Previews. Friday 28th September 2007 St. Helens Leeds Rhinos Match Official: A Klein Venue: Knowsley Road The prospect of sitting in a pub drowning his sorrows is acting as a spur for Jamie Peacock to reach this year's engage Super League Grand Final. The Leeds and Great Britain forward made five consecutive appearances at Old Trafford during his successful spell at Bradford but he suffered the heart-break of a first-round exit from the play-offs 12 months ago. Click here for the full preview Saturday 29th September 2007 Hull FC Wigan Warriors Match Official: S Ganson Venue: Kingston Communications Stadium Hull FC and Wigan Warriors have announced their 20-man squads for the engage Super League elimination semi-final at the KC Stadium on Saturday 29 September. Click here for the full preview News sent by: www.superleague.co.uk
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