Match Report – Leeds 50 – 16 Bradford

Leeds extended their lead at the top of the Betfred Super League with a big win over rivals Bradford Bulls at the Hill Dickinson Stadium; Ash Handley scored a hat-trick of tries and scored two more to leave the Rhinos four points clear.

Ash Handley scored a hat-trick of tries and set up two more as Leeds Rhinos battled rivals Bradford Bulls to a 50-16 victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The win saw the Rhinos extend their lead at the top of the Betfred Super League to four points, after running in nine tries against the Bulls to make it six.

It was the first time since 2012 that the two rivals had met at the Magic Weekend, and Bradford could not match Leeds’ intensity, with the Bulls 20-12 down at half-time.

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Nifty footwork for Leeds Rhinos was finished by Chris Hankinson as they extended their lead over Bradford Bulls.

Leeds were patient early on, and when the chance to draw first blood finally came, Brodie Croft grabbed it with both hands.

Croft reacted quickly to capitalize on a well-weighted grubber kick from Jarrod O’Connor, before finishing the move.

The Rhinos kept knocking on the door, and 10 minutes later Chris Hankinson scored his sixth try in as many games.

The win means the Rhinos are unbeaten in their last six games

O’Connor, who was superb throughout, pounced from dummy-half just before the half-hour mark to give Leeds the lead.

But Bradford, who had struggled to cope with a host of attacks from the league leaders, finally got back on track with a superb performance from Caleb Aekins, who beat two Rhinos defenders on his way to the tryline.

Leeds returned to action through James McDonnell, and the Rhinos showed no signs of slowing down, Handley scoring two tries either side of the break.

Despite trailing by 30 points, the Bulls were not going down without a fight, with Ethan Ryan scoring two quick tries.

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Ethan Ryan scored two goals for the Bulls in the second half

Chris Atkin first sent a looping pass to the winger who scored first, before Ryan combined with Aekin for a superb score.

The second try was Ryan’s 100th try for the Bulls.

But it wasn’t long before Leeds turned things around again, when Handley unleashed a stunning cross from the deck to Connor, for their seventh try of the game.

Handley selflessly gave up an early hat-trick opportunity to set up Maika Sivo on the left flank, and has now scored 16 tries in his last 10 Super League games.

It was senior Handley who had the final say, however, as the center scored his third try of the game at the death.

Super League 2026 – important dates ahead

• Rivals Round postponed: July 23-July 26
• To finish playing games: September 19-September 20
• It’s a semi-final: September 26-September 27
• Grand Final: October 3

Sky Sports will show every Super League game live this season, including two games in each round in a live special. The remaining five games will be broadcast on Sky Sports+. Get Sky Sports or stream without a contract NOW