Kiwis vs Leeds

Leeds Rhinos suffered the heaviest margin of defeat in their history when they were routed 74-0 by a hugely impressive New Zealand on Saturday.

The Kiwis are popular among Leeds fans and they got a tremendous reception on what was a good occasion, off the field at least. The century came up with 21 minutes still to play. Considering their six NRL Grand Finalists weren’t included in their 19, it was an ominous warning ahead of the World Cup. It all went south when the game kicked off. Rapana converted the first two and at 16-0 after as many minutes, it was already a case of how many the Kiwis would score. [New Zealand](/topic/new-zealand) had touched the ball, but it was pretty much one-way traffic after that as the Kiwis powered into a 34-0 lead at the break and showed no sign of easing off in the second period.

Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com – 08/10/2022 – Rugby League – Rugby League World Cup Warm Up Match – Leeds v New Zealand – Headingley Stadium, Leeds, ...

He had a try disallowed in the first few minutes and was a constant nuance at short kick-offs. He judged that Kenny Bromwich had grounded the ball despite the way it bounced away. It was offload city in Leeds tonight especially in the first 10 minutes. Thomas Leuluai played a key role in moving the ball right as Jordan Rapana dived in but his foot was forced into touch. If anyone remembers the 2015 encounter, they’ll remember that Kylie Leuluai was denied a farewell try for a forward pass and tonight Tom Briscoe was denied his own sweet moment. The Leeds legend who still valiantly fights Motor Neurone Disease was the guest of honour and delivered the match ball tonight.

The New Zealand team were ruthless and clinical against the Super League outfit, scoring 14 tries in the tournament warm up match. In the game which doubled as ...

Melbourne club mates Jesse Bromwich and Brandon Smith also got across, before Leuluai had the final say, with his long ball providing an assist for Mulitalo, who dived over in the corner as the hooter sounded. And Foran and Leuluai combined particularly well, especially considering it was the first time they had played together in the Kiwis jersey in more than seven years, with their last outing the 2015 Anzac test win in Brisbane. On a perfect night at Headingley, Leeds had a bright start – with an early opportunity – but that was as good as it got in the one sided affair, as New Zealand's physicality, power and pace was too much to handle once they clicked into gear. Coach Michael Maguire also had eight top liners in the grandstand, with the contingent from Penrith and Parramatta as well as Jared Waerea-Hargreaves and Joseph Manu, which underlined the depth at his disposal. Raiders centre Sebastian Kris had a dream start in the Black and White V with three first half tries, as the Kiwis rolled through the middle almost at will, lethal with their offloading and second phase play. In the game which doubled as a farewell to retiring Kiwis great Thomas Leuluai, it was mainly about combinations, as well as getting some fitness into players who had ended their NRL season a few weeks earlier.

The Kiwis ran in 14 tries, with Sebastian Kris snaring three, in an impressive warm-up to the Rugby League World Cup.

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