Leeds Rhinos ended their dismal five-match losing streak with a slender victory to plunge Wakefield deeper into the engage Super League relegation mire.

A horrendous run of results saw Tony Smith's side bundled out of the Powergen Challenge Cup and lose their way in the race for second spot in the engage Super League.

It was the club's worst run for a decade and another morale-sapping reverse would have been their first six-match losing streak since 1958. But, with skipper Kevin Sinfield leading by example with three crucial goals, they edged a hard-fought encounter to strike a serious blow to Trinity's survival chances.

Wakefield began the game buoyed by two straight victories since the appointment of John Kear as coach but Leeds made the perfect start by opening the scoring after just 49 seconds.

Rhinos hooker Matt Diskin was the architect as he capitalised on a missed tackle by opposite number David March to begin a fine counter-attacking move.

Diskin left March for dead on the halfway line and found Keith Senior to his left, with the Great Britain centre setting 19-year-old Jordan Tansey clear for only his second senior try.

Sinfield landed the first of his three goals but Trinity's spirited response quickly had Leeds pinned back deep inside their own half.

Their efforts forced a penalty after four minutes which Jamie Rooney converted and they soon came close to crossing the line as Colum Halpenny went close in the right corner.

The Trinity wing narrowly failed to ground but two minutes later March's pass looked to have sent Ben Jeffries over only for Jamie Peacock to make a fine last-ditch tackle.

Michael Korkidas was next to come close for Wakefield but their dominance was finally rewarded after 24 minutes when slick handling from Rooney sent March crashing over.

Rooney added the extras but Leeds regained the lead after 32 minutes when Diskin controversially scrambled over from dummy half despite suspicion of a knock-on by Rhinos forward Ali Lauitiiti.

Sinfield added the goal to put Leeds 12-8 ahead at the break but Wakefield hit back in style five minutes after the restart.

New Zealand forward David Solomona embarked on a magnificent run which had Leeds stretched and although they managed to regroup, Wakefield quickly switched play to the right and Jeffries sent Tom Saxton in at the corner.

The try was awarded after deliberation from the video referee but Rooney failed to convert from a difficult angle.

And six minutes later it proved costly as Sinfield's well-struck 35-metre penalty put Leeds ahead at 14-12.

That goal sealed the points for Leeds and they believed they had extended their lead on the hour mark following a mix-up in the Wildcats' backline. Halpenny and Semi Tadulala collided as they attempted to collect a loose ball, leaving Rhinos wing Scott Donald to collect and ground - but the video referee disallowed the 'try' as Trinity breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Leeds ended the game the stronger as they went in pursuit of a killer try, and although it was not forthcoming, Sinfield's six-point contribution ultimately proved the difference.