ST HELENS coach Mick Potter led the tributes to match-winner Jon Wilkin for his role in the holders’ 22-18 victory over Leeds in the fourth round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup.

The England back-row forward was Saints’ hero with a superb all-round display, which included two crucial 40-20 kicks, despite playing out of position in the half-backs.

Potter said: “Jon is a very good player. I think you could put him in any position from one to 13 and he would do a very good job. I know he can kick a ball very well. He is very good at kicking and passing and just carrying the footie. He is a big asset to the team.”

Saints have lost the last two Super League Grand Finals to their arch rivals but they have knocked Leeds out of the Cup in each of the last two years and are unbeaten in the competition since a semi-final defeat by Hull in 2005.

“There are high expectations,” said Potter, who is in his first season in charge at Knowsley Road. “They have set such a fantastic record.

“All we have got to do is worry about the next game, which could be just as tough as this one.

“I’m very happy with the players and how they performed today. We always knew it was going to be a difficult match. But I was confident the result would look after itself with the way we played in the first quarter.”

First-half tries from Ade Gardner and James Roby put the holders 10-6 up at half-time and two further scores from Matt Gidley and Paul Wellens in a decisive seven-minute spell put them in an unassailable 20-6 lead.

The Rhinos briefly held the lead, courtesy of Jamie Jones-Buchanan’s 24th-minute try, but they were a clear second best for the second time in a fortnight and defeat leaves them still looking for their first Challenge Cup success since 1999.

Leeds coach Brian McClennan admitted: “We’re all pretty despondent, we’re not feeling too great at the moment.

“There were little periods when we played well but we couldn’t sustain it for long enough to build up pressure.

“We were beaten by the better side on the day. They tied up our middle and got to the edges really well. We made a couple of errors and paid for it. We gave away too many penalties as well. It was a bit of our own doing but also good work by St Helens.

“The cold hard truth is that we didn’t play well enough on the day and that’s what you have got to do in the big games. St Helens kicked really well – 40-20s are big plays and Wilkin did a good job.”