Leeds Rhinos 54 Warrington Wolves 16.
WOLVES' away day blues are threatening to make Super League XI a season to forget.
Hopes of a revival still remain but nine straight defeats on the road - equalling an unwanted club record - have turned Wolves from genuine trophy contenders to rank outsiders.
Things were looking rosy after a win in Perpignan in May but since then the Wolves roadshow has only produced a shock cup exit and a slide to the edge of the play-offs.
It does not inspire confidence that Wolves' next away game is scheduled for the first round of the play-offs.
But they can at least take solace in the fact that, although the club have lost nine consecutive away games on five previous occasions, they have never lost a 10th.
On the evidence of Friday's defeat at Leeds, though, Wolves have a lot of ground to make up if they are to put themselves in a position to gain an elusive play-off win in just over two weeks' time - with one area in particular needing special attention.
Their heaviest defeat since 2003 came as a result of a steady procession of tries and Wolves have conceded an average of more than 40 points per game during their barren away run.
Paul Cullen felt penalties - they conceded six without reply during a crucial first-half spell - and handling errors put his defence under too much pressure, before accusing his side of sitting back and playing the victim'.
They certainly never looked capable of holding out an imaginative Leeds team, who were without the injured Danny McGuire but buoyed by the opening of Headingley's new Carnegie Stand.
Wolves often threatened going forward - a neat Michael Sullivan try put them ahead in the opening stages - but they did not go forward often enough.
They found themselves 30-10 behind at the midway point, with a 60-metre dash from prop Jamie Thackray the pick of Rhinos' tries.
Scott Donald again exposed his opponents' lack of speed during a second half that saw Paul Wood forced off with a shoulder injury, while Keith Senior grabbed a hat-trick, as he had done on Wolves' last league visit.
Knowing his side will have to close a 38-point deficit if they face Leeds again in an elimination play-off, Cullen concluded: "We've got a lot of work to do."
Match facts.
engage Super League XI, Round 26, September 1, 2006.
Leeds Rhinos 54 Warrington Wolves 16.
Rhinos: Jordan Tansey; Scott Donald, Clinton Toopi, Keith Senior, Ashley Gibson; Kevin Sinfield, Rob Burrow; Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Matt Diskin, Jamie Thackray, Jamie Peacock, Ali Lauitiiti, Gareth Ellis. Subs used: Chev Walker, Ryan Bailey, Ian Kirke, Shane Millard.
Wolves: Stuart Reardon; Henry Fa'afili, Martin Gleeson, Toa Kohe-Love, Richie Barnett; Lee Briers, Chris Bridge; Chris Leikvoll, Michael Sullivan, Paul Wood, Logan Swann, Mike Wainwright, Ben Westwood. Subs used: Rob Parker, Mark Gleeson, Andy Bracek, Chris Riley.
Referee: Ben Thaler.
Scoring: Thackray charges through Swann's tackle, 9mins, 4-0; Sullivan collects Leikvoll's superb offload and reaches past Tansey, 12mins, Briers converts, 4-6; Lauitiiti intercepts Briers' kick and his pass allows Thackray to win the 60m race to the line, 17mins, Sinfield goals, 10-6; Barnett's hesitancy enables Donald to collect Sinfield's bomb, 20mins, Sinfield adds the extras, 16-6; Barnett collects Bridge's pass and speeds over after Donald had lost possession, 26mins, 16-10; Sinfield lands penalty after Wood's illegal tackle, 35mins, 18-10; Lauitiiti runs across the line and darts inside Kohe-Love, 37mins, Sinfield converts, 24-10; Tansey's kick finds Gibson in acres of space, 40+mins, Sinfield lands goal, 30-10; Briers puts Swann through a gap, 44mins, Briers converts, 30-16; Sinfield's offload puts Senior over with Briers complaining the pass was forward, 61mins, Sinfield goals, 36-16; Senior is handed a gift after Riley failed to gather Burrow's grubber in goal, 66mins, Sinfield adds two more points, 42-16; Donald finds a hole in the Wolves line and dashes 80m to the posts, 72mins, Sinfield converts, 48-16; Senior completes his hat-trick with a 70m run to the line from Lauitiiti's pass, 80+mins, Burrow goals, 54-16.
Pens: Rhinos 10 Wolves 3.
Scrums: Rhinos 8 Wolves 8.
Attendance: 17,349.
Warrington Guardian top men: Sullivan 3pts, Leikvoll 2pts, Bridge 1pt.
Interesting note: Leeds had not broken the 20-point barrier in their previous five matches.
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