Super League: St Helens 40-10 Leeds Rhinos

Try: Mata’utia, Mbye, Clark, Welsby 2, Sironen, Makinson Objectives: Percival 6

Try: Handley, Roberts Objectives: Martini

St Helens returned to the top of Super League after coming from behind to record a strong win against Leeds Rhinos.

Ash Handley sent the Rhinos ahead but Saints hit back through Sione Mata’utia midway through the first half and never looked back.

Moses Mbye crashed over on the stroke of half-time to swing the game in Saints’ favor and Daryl Clark extended their lead after the restart.

Luis Roberts reduced the home side’s lead, but Jack Welsby’s brace, combined with scores from Curtis Sironen and Tommy Makinson, helped the Saints back to top in style.

The win, Saints’ ninth of the season, drops second-placed Wigan Warriors, but Matt Peet’s side now have two games in hand on their rivals.

Leeds, meanwhile, fell to a sixth league defeat of the season.

Handley showed great power to charge over the line to send Leeds ahead, but their lead was short-lived and they rarely threatened again.

The hosts responded when Matt Frawley’s exciting cross was collected by Makinson, who sent on Konrad Hurrell to send Mata’utia through.

Saints completed their first-half comeback from a Leeds strike and made the most of their possession through Matty Lees, whose pass allowed Mbye to touch down.

Leeds suffered a blow for the start of the second half after Matty Russell was found to have failed a head injury assessment and it got worse when Sironen teed up Clark to put Saints in control.

Welsby eventually scored his fourth after latching on to Lewis Dodd’s high shot to head over.

Leeds struggled to gain momentum in the second half and their efforts at 40-20 were thwarted by Welsby, who eventually played through Waqa Blake to set up Sironen’s score in the 64th minute.

Makinson, who earlier this week announced he would be leaving at the end of the season after 14 years at St Helens, dived over to score his 200th try for the club, while Welsby headed in a second later to capped off a stunning victory.

St Helens: Welsby; Makinson, Hurrell, Percival, Blake; Lomax, Dodd; Mata’utia, Clark, Lees, Sironen, Batchelor, Bell.

Exchanges: Mbye, Delaney, Davies, Stephen.

Leeds: Miller; Russell, Newman, Roberts, Handley; Croft, Frawley; Oledzki, O’Connor, Sangare, McDonnell, Martin, Smith.

Exchanges: Lisone, Nicholson-Watton, Ackers, Goudemand.