This was a meeting of the competition’s top scorers – Leeds had scored 102 points in their previous two games – and meanest defence, with Wakefield conceding fewer points than anyone else in the opening nine rounds.
That record was quickly under threat as Connor’s early penalty set the tone and after Trinity’s Cam Scott had been stretchered off and taken to hospital after a head clash, Sivo benefited from astonishingly quick hands from Handley to score the first try.
The Rhinos were brimming with confidence and flair, and Connor’s no-look pass sent Watkins slicing through the defensive cover to make it 14-0.
Oliver Pratt finally got Wakefield in the game with his 11th Super League try of the season, but Leeds were irrepressible in the first half and Lachie Miller sent Sivo away for his second try to restore the 14-point lead.
The momentum shifted just before the break as Sivo received his yellow card for a high tackle on Josh Rourke, and big Kiwi front rower Lolesio powered over the line for his first Wakefield try to bring fresh hope to the travelling fans.
Connor added a penalty early in the second half to give Leeds breathing space, but just before Sivo returned to the field Leeds lost another man as Handley was adjudged to have pushed Rourke as the two men raced after a kick into in-goal.
Again Trinity made use of the extra man as 23-year-old winger Myers finished brilliantly in the corner and Mason Lino’s conversion slashed the lead to four.
Super League’s leading points scorer Connor eventually kicked eight out of nine, a big contribution, but he showed the other side to his game with an interception and break that set up Croft for a try at a big moment in the game.
Still Trinity plugged away and Myers added another after catching Rourke’s kick over the top, but Leeds were not to be denied as Sivo came up with another strong finish in the corner, and Connor added a penalty.
Even the sin-binning of Jack Bird, Leeds’ third yellow of the night, failed to interrupt the flow of the game as Croft continued his pursuit of team-mate Sivo at the top of the scoring charts with his second of the night and 13th in all.
