Women's Super League Grand Final: St Helens 28-0 Leeds - Saints score six tries to win title

Image source, PA Media

Image caption, St Helens winger Leah Burke scored two of her side's six tries in Leeds

Betfred Women's Super League Grand Final

Leeds (0)

St Helens (10) 28

Tries: Burke 2, Cunningham, Hardcastle, Harris, Bush Goals: Stott 2

St Helens ran in six tries at Emerald Headingley as they hammered Leeds Rhinos on home soil to become the fourth Women's Super League winners.

Leah Burke, with a try in each half, Jodie Cunningham, Amy Hardcastle, Zoe Harris and Danielle Bush all got on the scoresheet as Saints became the first team to win the women's treble.

In front of a record women's gate of 4,235, Saints simply overpowered Leeds.

That made it a Super League double after the men's team won in Manchester.

St Helens followed Bradford (2017), Wigan (2018) and defending champions Leeds (2019) as the fourth side to win rugby league's Women's Super League title.

But the Saints women went one better than the men, who only won the double this season.

Having already lifted the Challenge Cup and the League Leaders' Shield, their Grand Final triumph earned Cunningham's side their third trophy of 2021.

Game of two halves

In a tight first half of near misses at both ends, Saints had just gone close through player of the match Chantelle Crowl when winger Burke opened the scoring on 21 minutes. She was ruled to have touched down stand-off Zoe Harris' kick just before the ball rolled dead.

After Saints skipper Cunningham was yellow carded, the game was then held up for almost 10 minutes when Leeds winger Sophie Nuttall had to be stretchered off after appearing to bang her head in a heavy tackle.

Image source, PA Media

Image caption, Saints skipper Jodie Cunningham had both a yellow card and a stunning try to show for her afternoon's work in Leeds

But, although Crowl was lucky not to have followed her into the sin-bin for a shoulder challenge, Woman Of Steel winner Cunningham was back on the field to charge through the Rhinos defence to claim their second try right on half-time.

And it proved crucial as the first of Zoe Stott's two successful kicks gave Saints a 10-0 cushion at the break.

Leeds somehow remained in it, in the wake of increasing Saints second-half pressure, but they finally buckled with four tries in 14 minutes.

Image source, Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com

Image caption, St Helens' fourth try from Amy Hardcastle was perhaps the pick of their six

Harris again kicked through for Burke to score her second try before centre Hardcastle powered over from 60 metres - and Harris and left winger Bush finished off the badly-tiring Leeds defence.

Earlier, in the curtain raiser, Huddersfield beat Featherstone Rovers 24-22 in the Women's Super League Shield final.

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