The remarkable stats from Leeds’ win over Hull KR that prove Rhinos are title challengers
Leeds Rhinos players celebrate Harry Newman's try against Hull KR in August 2025
Thursday night was arguably the greatest Leeds Rhinos performance in the Brad Arthur era, as they romped to a remarkable 28-6 win over Hull KR.
Things started wonderfully for Arthur’s charges at Headingley, with two scores in the opening quarter through Jake Connor and Presley Cassell – on his first home start in the Blue and Amber – and that set the tone.
One more try was added before half-time, with Lachie Miller crossing the whitewash after a well-executed break, before the boot of Connor pushed them into a 22-0 lead in the second-half. The cherry was later put on top by Harry Newman, as the centre dotted down to make it 28-0.
Hull KR did nab a late consolation score through Tom Davies, with former Rhino Rhyse Martin adding the extras, but it was just one small blemish on an otherwise perfect night for the hosts.
The win in itself is quite remarkable, given Hull KR were coming into the game off the back of beating Wigan Warriors at The Brick Community Stadium and were sitting six points clear at the top of the Super League table, but it’s made even more brilliant when you look into the stats.
With that in mind, here is a full breakdown of the numbers behind Leeds’ win over Hull KR.
Marvellous attack
It might not be a staple of their game under Arthur, but Leeds’ attack was firing on all cylinders last night as they tore Hull KR apart.
Across the game, the Rhinos notched an astonishing 1282 metres ball-in-hand from 218 carriers (an average of 5.8 metres per carry). Of those metres, 479 were post-contact metres as well.
On the individual front, they again looked to bring in the likes of Lachie Miller, Ash Handley and Harry Newman into the game. Australian full-back Miller ran for 166 metres ball-in-hand from his 30 carries.
New recruits Keenan Palasia and Chris Hankinson also hit three digits, with Samoan international Palasia topping 132 metres from his 20 carries, while winger Hankinson hit 104 metres from 16 carries.
Centres Newman and Handley weren’t far off either, with Newman hitting 97 metres and Handley notching 94 metres.
Elsewhere, youngster Presley Cassell again showed his Super League minerals, with 97 metres from his 11 carries.
Around that, Leeds also tallied 61 tackle bursts, with 25 of those coming from Miller (15) and Newman (10) alone.
Half-back pairing Brodie Croft and Jake Connor were once again at their creative best. Croft pulled the strings with his distribution, helping him notch two assists, while Connor kicked the leather off the ball with 11 in general play to pin KR back.
The former FC man also slotted six goals off the tee and nabbed a try for his efforts.
Gutsy defence
Having a rampant attack is all well and good, but Leeds were again rock solid in defence. As a collective, they posted 297 completed tackles, while only missing 34. To put that even further into context, Hull KR missed 61 tackles last night.
There were again some mighty individual contributions within this. Jarrod O’Connor led the way with a staggering 45 tackles across his shift, with James McDonnell and Kallum Watkins close behind on 39 and 36, respectively.
What’s even more impressive is none of the starting pack dropped below the 20 tackle mark either, with Morgan Gannon and James Bentley both making 25, Palasia making 20 and Cassell making 21. Sam Lisone also got stuck in after his introduction from the bench, making 14 tackles.
The backs also got involved to good effect, with Croft and Connor leading the way with 15 apiece.
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