One of Charles Dickens’ most-quoted lines is ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’. That is the best way to sum up Hull KR vs Leeds Rhinos in Las Vegas.
Unlike Dickens’ novel though, this was not the ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ it was the tale of one, Las Vegas, in which Leeds Rhinos made their Betfred Super League statement.
For Leeds, it was truly a night to remember, a night in which Brad Arthur’s side were faced with delivering for an occasion and they did that and then some.
Ten tries went in as Hull KR were utterly rudderless when faced with Leeds’ spine in full flow and their forwards laying down the groundwork.
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The Leeds players celebrate with their travelling fans in Las Vegas after beating Hull KR
Maika Sivo, who scored four of those 10, got his reward after having to wait a year to make his mark in Super League. After flying his family over in 2025, he suffered an ACL injury that postponed his Leeds debut, but he has now scored six tries in two games.
The Leeds side is one that has proven winners but a lot of inexperience in the big games. In Las Vegas, they showed they could do it.
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Leeds’ Maika Sivo ran in four tries in an outstanding performance against Hull KR in Las Vegas
While Sivo grabbed the headlines, Jake Connor also deserves the plaudits. He had the Robins on a string and, as is his character, he enjoyed running the show and putting KR on edge while he stayed calm at the helm.
That calmness helped rattle, mystify and trouble Hull KR in a way you do not often see.
Hull KR beat Brisbane. Leeds beat Hull KR. They got to deliver their statement that they can be Super League contenders.
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Sivo barges over for the opening try in Las Vegas
“We wanted to make sure that we did ourselves proud and our fans and did the competition justice,” Arthur said.
“We got an opportunity to come over and represent the Super League and represent the Leeds Rhinos.
“We had thousands of fans travel over and we had seen the support, so we weren’t anticipating it to end that way but I was anticipating the toughness, the physicality, the real hunger that our boys showed.
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Sivo makes a huge break downfield and shifts it out wide for Ryan Hall to cruise over
“It is just our way of showing our appreciation for being given a great opportunity. We had a ball.
“The thing I was really looking forward to seeing was the big occasion.
“It is the biggest occasion our guys have played. As a group, since I’ve had them, this is the first time we are having a big occasion like this.
“In the past, we may have tightened up in that sort of situation and got a bit anxious, but we didn’t today, so hopefully that’s a step in the right direction for us.”
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Sivo goes over for his fourth try in Las Vegas
Throughout the week, Leeds experienced the big moments – Fremont Street, fan signings, UFC – but constantly reiterated they were here with a job to do despite the bright lights. For their hard work, I am sure they will leave Vegas after having the ‘best of times’ with their team-mates.
For Hull KR, it is a completely opposite story. They experienced the bright lights and seemingly got dazzled by them. They walked in on top of the world, they walked down Fremont Street as the kings of rugby league.
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Brodie Croft goes over to extend Leeds Rhinos’ lead over Hull KR in Las Vegas
Now, they leave Las Vegas still on zero points in Super League, bottom of the table and with questions to answer when they head to Huddersfield next week.
It is a reminder for the Robins after taking four titles that the low moments still happen. It is now about how they bounce back from a pretty big one.
Together, as a team, they have to sit and lick the wounds of one of their ‘worst times’.
How they respond to that will decide how and when they experience the ‘best of times’ once again.
2026 Super League – key dates and what to look out for
- Super League’s 30th birthday: Thu Mar 26: Castleford Tigers vs Bradford Bulls, 8pm (Sky Sports)
- Rivals Round: April 3-April 5
- Super League in Paris: Sat Jun 6: Catalans Dragons vs Wigan Warriors (Paris), 6:30 UK (Sky Sports)
- Magic Weekend: July 4-July 5
- Rivals Round reversed: July 23-July 26
- Elimination Play-offs: September 19-September 20
- Play-off semi-finals: September 26-September 27
- Grand Final: October 3, Old Trafford.
Sky Sports will again show every game of the Super League live this season – including two matches in each round exclusively live, with the remaining five matches each week shown on Sky Sports+
