Rhinos May Pay a High Price for Victory After Webb's Indiscretion

Leeds ended their league campaign with a hard-earned win last night, but have a major disciplinary worry ahead of the play-offs after their New Zealand full-back Brent Webb was put on report for a high tackle on Wakefield's Danny Brough.

The 14th-minute incident will be studied by the Rugby Football League's video review panel on Monday leaving Webb in danger of a suspension that would rule him out of the qualifying semi-final at St Helens on Friday week. The Rhinos came into the game with a mathematical chance of overhauling Saints to finish top, but it was obvious from the start that whatever happened at Knowsley Road, a Wakefield team who theoretically had nothing to play for would offer far too much resistance to allow Leeds to give the necessary boost to their points difference.

This was a proper Yorkshire derby, and in the balance at 12-12 until Leeds took control in the last 20 minutes, with Ali Lauitiiti scoring two tries and laying on another for Kevin Sinfield.

Leeds responded to an early Danny Brough try with a slick combination between Webb and Lauitiiti for Jordan Tansey to score. But Wakefield responded by surging into a 12-6 lead through two well-taken tries by their classy full-back Scott Grix, and it took a brilliant individual effort from Scott Donald to bring the Rhinos level at half-time.

Brough missed a chance to regain the lead for Trinity, dragging a penalty wide in first-half stoppage time, and the scores remained level throughout a fiercely contested third quarter but Sinfield grabbed the crucial score in the 62nd minute after his own high kick had rebounded to Lauitiiti off Grix's shoulder.

Wakefield Trinity Grix; Blanch, Martin, Atkins, Petersen; Rooney, Brough; Watene, Drew, Bibey, MacGillivray, Golden, Demetriou. Interchange Sculthorpe, K Henderson, Wilkes, Leo-Latu.

Leeds Rhinos Webb; Smith, Ablett, Senior, Donald; McGuire, Burrow; Scruton, Tansey, Peacock, Lauitiiti, Ellis, Sinfield. Interchange Jones-Buchanan, Bailey, Kirke, Burgess.

Referee S Ganson (St Helens).