RHINOS CONTINUE FINAL CHARGE

Lee Smith and Ali Lauitiiti both scored two tries as the Rhinos scored 34 unanswered second-half points in Friday's qualifying play-off at Headingley to earn a week off and a home semi-final in a fortnight's time. In a revolutionary new play-off system, Leeds will also get the chance to choose their semi-final opponents.

Hull KR will have another chance to make progress with a preliminary semi-final but will first hold a roll call after going into their first play-off without five regulars and then losing centre Chev Walker with a suspected compound fracture in the 11th minute.

Rovers were already trailing 4-0 by then thanks to centre Smith's sixth-minute try on his 100th appearance for the Rhinos. The try was made by winger Scott Donald's brilliant take of Danny McGuire's high kick and Leeds could have been further ahead after dominating the opening quarter.

Hull KR soaked up some pressure and hit back midway through the half when Daniel Fitzhenry, a third-choice full-back, jinked his way past wrong-footed defenders and stretched out of full-back Brent Webb's tackle to touch down.

Michael Dobson's simple conversion put Rovers into a 6-4 lead and he stretched it with a penalty after Leeds skipper Kevin Sinfield, unusually sporting a headguard to protect a facial injury, put a goal-line drop-out straight into touch.

However, Leeds regained the lead after half-an-hour when substitute Lauitiiti demonstrated his exceptional ball-handling skills to get the supporting Webb over for his 16th try of the season. Sinfield made amends for his earlier miss by slotting the conversion between the uprights to give his side a 10-8 half-time lead.

McGuire got the scoreboard moving in the second half before left winger Ryan Hall, the Super League's runaway leading tryscorer, was the creator, collecting McGuire's "bomb" and Senior got Lauitiiti stretching out for the line.

Lauitiiti took McGuire's superb short pass and crashed over for a second try and Hall finished off a break by Webb to score his 30th try of the season - Smith converted both.