Valkyrie claim 12-34 victory at Leeds Rhinos in Women's Super League

The Valkyrie were in control from the first minute until the last, with Tamzin Renouf, Ashleigh Hyde, Hollie-Mae Dodd, Liv Gale, Tara Jane Stanley and Ellie Hendry all crossing the whitewash as York gained revenge for September’s Grand Final defeat in front of a record crowd of 5,308 supporters.

A dominant second-half performance from Lindsay Anfield’s charges simply blew away Leeds in front of the Sky Sports cameras in West Yorkshire, despite the head coach admitting that she believed that her side were only playing at 70 per cent of their performance capacity.

If that is to be the case, Valkyrie supporters will witness some truly sensational rugby this season, with today’s performance appearing to cement York’s place as title favourites.

New signing Sade Rihari made an impressive York debut against the outstanding Caitlin Beevers, a battle in which the 21-year-old was forced from the field with injury late on, while two-time Super League winner Aimee Staveley was also given a run out against her former side from among the interchanges.

Leeds were without the influential Georgia Roach ahead of her suspected switch to NRLW side Newcastle Knights, their downfall also contributed to by concentrating too much of their efforts into containing the threat of the dangerous Stanley.

Full-back Tara Jane Stanley was outstanding throughout the match for the Valkyrie. (Image: Craig Hawkhead)

Rhinos legend, nine-time Super League winner Jamie Peacock, joined Leeds head coach Lois Forsell in the dressing room ahead of kick-off seeking to inspire the reigning champions, with the sides making an even start to proceedings, completing their tackle sets without ever troubling the try line.

But it was the Valkyrie who nudged themselves in front in the sixth minute, captain Sinead Peach playing a delightful delicate kick in behind to split the Leeds defence, with Renouf profiting to dive onto the loose ball and ground into the corner.

Stanley arrowed the conversion between the sticks, the first of five successful kicks from the full-back on a near-perfect afternoon.

But York found themselves pegged back within five minutes, the hosts making their numerical advantage count after Jas Bell had been sin-binned for a late tackle on Zoe Hornby, Bennett wrongfooting Peach with a dummy to cross down the wing.

With the game starting to ebb and flow, it took a moment of real quality to see the Valkyrie regain the lead, Stanley delivering a simply sublime cross-field switch for the onrushing Hyde to cross into the left corner, before converting the score.

Leeds hit back in the 28th minute as former St Helens centre Amy Hardcastle, today playing in the second row, offloaded left to Beevers, who looked to cap her 50th appearance in blue and yellow with a try after running forward from her own 35 metre line, only to have been brought down inches short.

That left the Rhinos within metres of the try line and they capitalised, working the ball right through Sophie Nuttall for Eloise Hayward to cross to the right of the sticks, Sam Hulme converting for the second and final time to tie the scores at 12-12.

The hosts began to find more joy down the flanks, but thankfully for York could not find the breakthrough, with an error in the middle of the pitch instead gifting the visitors the opportunity to lead at half time.

The Valkyrie were awarded a scrum after Bethany Lockwood knocked-on in the game’s first error five minutes before the break, with York using their field position to drive forward through Grace Field before playing in Dodd, who shimmied past two defenders before grounding to the right of the posts to fire her side in front.

Hollie-Mae Dodd crosses for the Valkyrie's third try of the afternoon shortly before the break. (Image: Craig Hawkhead)

Forsell was confident that some home truths at half time would spur the reigning champions onto victory, but the opposite proved to be true as York delivered a sensational second half to run away with the tie.

The first of the Valkyrie’s trio of scores after the break came in the 51st minute, Peach offloading to Gale out of dummy half, who weaved past a number of Leeds defenders to slice through a gap and ground next to the posts, the try confirmed with the aid of the video referee.

Woman of the Match Stanley then grabbed the try that her outstanding performance had deserved, Rhiannion Marshall feeding the full-back to burst forward on the third tackle and dive into the right corner, with the video referee again ruling the score in York’s favour.

With the win near-confirmed, the Valkyrie continued to ask questions of an underwhelming Leeds, Peach’s grubber forcing a knock-on close to the attacking line, before Gale was held up underneath the posts.

Beevers was withdrawn from the field after a tackle with Rihari, before a fatigued Elle Frain conceded a penalty for a high tackle 30 metres out, Stanley opting to take the two with the boot with a fantastic effort arrowed between the posts.

There was still time for York to add gloss to the scoreline with a minute of the match remaining, profiting from a knock-on as Marshall fed Hendry, who fended off two Leeds defenders to cross into the right corner. Stanley missed her kick from the touchline.

A resounding win for the Valkyrie, and by a greater margin than most expected. They return to Super League action in their first home match of the season against current Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup holders St Helens next Sunday (1pm), which will be broadcast live on The Sportsman.

LEEDS RHINOS: Nuttall, Hayward, Beevers, Butcher, Robinson, Casey, Hulme, Hornby, Bennett, Northrop, Hardcastle, Dainton, Hale.

INTERCHANGES: Earnshaw-Cudjoe, Anderson, Lockwood, Frain.

TRIES: Bennett (11), Hayward (28)

GOALS: Hulme 2/2

YORK VALKYRIE: Stanley, Hyde, Renouf, Kershaw, Hendry, Hetherington, Gale, Wood, Peach, Bell, Owen, Andrade, Dodd.

INTERCHANGES: Rihari, Staveley, Marshall, Field, Whitehead.

TRIES: Renouf (6), Hyde (17), Dodd (37), Gale (51), Stanley (64), Hendry (79)

GOALS: Stanley 5/7

YELLOW CARDS: Bell (10)

POINTS SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-6, 4-6, 6-6, 6-10, 6-12, 10-12, 12-12, 12-16, 12-18, 12-22, 12-24, 12-28, 12-30, 12-34

HALF TIME: 12-18

YORK’S STAR WOMAN: Tara Jane Stanley. It’s hard to look past the Woman of Steel’s sensational cross-field pass for Dodd during the first half, let alone her own try, and a fantastic afternoon with the boot.

ATTENDANCE: 5,308