John Mehr scored a debut try for the Rhinos but Rubert Jonker’s side to unable to record their fifth successive league win.

HARINGEY RHINOS 12 OLD HABERDASHERS 32

JOHN Mehr scored a debut try for Rhinos on Saturday but Haringey’s 100 per cent start to their league campaign was ended by Old Haberdashers at New River Stadium.

It was a surprise home defeat for the Rhinos, who had won their first four games of the season to take an early lead in London North-West Division 3.

Saturday’s meeting with sixth-placed Haberdashers seemed to offer Rubert Jonker’s Rhinos a strong chance of extending their winning run.

However, the hosts ultimately paid the price for a failure to convert the opportunities that came their way, emerging from the contest empty-handed.

There was little sign of the defeat to come in the early exchanges and it was the Rhinos who took the lead with the first try, player-coach Jonker breaking the line and offloading to Tom Love, who fired the final pass out to scorer Dejean Tommy.

Jade Murphy missed the conversion by the slightest of margins and that was as good as it got for Haringey as a lack of concentration allowed Haberdashers to register two tries.

Rhinos enjoyed plenty of possession and territory in the first half but squandered their several chances to add to their points haul.

Mehr entered the fray for the first time in a Rhinos jersey five minutes after the break and showed pace and potential on the left wing but, again the Rhinos could not convert their opportunities into points and the visitors extended their lead.

Haringey finished the stronger, with Mehr touching down in the corner, but by then the game was effectively over and Jonker’s side were left to reflect on a disappointing result.The Rhinos now have a welcome weekend off before they visit Barnet Elizabethans on October 23.