Captain marvel thrills McClennan

Leeds coach Brian McClennan paid tribute to his captain Kevin Sinfield after he inspired the engage Super League champions to their best performance of the season.

The England loose forward was in imperious form as the Rhinos cruised to a 34-10 win over Wigan, a fifth successive victory that maintains their 100% record in Super League XIV.

"It was a really good effort led superbly by Kevin Sinfield, who is in outstanding form at the moment," said McClennan. "He's an outstanding leader and an outstanding player. He's the best captain the club has ever had and we treasure what he does for us."

Leeds never looked back after racing into a 22-0 lead inside the first half-hour thanks to tries from Kylie Leuluai, Rob Burrow, Scott Donald and Ryan Hall.

The Rhinos' early domination was aided by 40-20 kicks from Burrow and Lee Smith which enabled them to pile the pressure on Wigan's line.

"40-20s can really turn a game," said McClennan. "A team gets excited by the play and, whenever a team gets one, they nearly always get a good attacking set off the back of it."

Wigan threatened a fightback when winger Shaun Ainscough scored his fourth try in as many games just before half-time, but Leeds pulled away in the second half and added further tries through Hall and Peacock, with Sinfield taking his goal tally to five from six attempts.

"I'm really pleased with the way they applied themselves," added McClennan. "I thought we played pretty well and our defence was very good."