We go again – as modern sporting types often ill-fatedly declare – as Saints return to Headingley for another tear-up with a recently wounded crash of Rhinos. Only this time a Challenge Cup quarter-final place is on the line when the two meet on Friday night (March 22, kick-off 8.00pm).
It was a close run thing just six days ago as Paul Wellens’ side managed to overhaul an 8-0 deficit to win 18-8. After a promising start Leeds were eventually suffocated by the red vee’s granite-like defence which pitched a fifth 40-minute shut-out in 10 halves of rugby league in 2024. The fact that Saints have kept their opponents scoreless in 50% of the halves of rugby league they have played this season is mind boggling. It has helped enormously with their start of four wins out of the first five league outings while the Rhinos have won only three from their first five.
Last Friday’s task was made more complicated for Wellens by the late withdrawal of Tommy Makinson with a hamstring injury. This led to much re-shuffling of the lineup and a particularly rude awakening for Ben Davies when it became apparent that he is not even ahead of back rower Matt Whitley when it comes to the question of who should start at centre if Mark Percival cannot. Makinson is ruled out this week nice and early, and joins the still suspended Percival on the sidelines.
Last week’s solution was to move Waqa Blake out to the wing from centre and accommodate Whitley in the three-quarters ahead of Davies. It’s difficult to see how that won’t happen again, unless Wellens fancies bowing to the mystifying calls from all around him to restore Tee Ritson to the side and so keep Blake at centre with Konrad Hurrell. The boss seems more likely to keep faith with Jon Bennison who was a try scorer in last week’s victory. Hurrell might be the only one who can be certain of starting in his favoured position. If I were Davies I’d be meeting with my agent.
Questions to answer there, then. But there are still some things which are close to a certainty in the Saints back line. That is that Jack Welsby will start at fullback from where he can wreak the most havoc in attack, and that the in-form duo of Lewis Dodd and skipper Jonny Lomax will combine in the halves. The latter has even started to kick goals in the absence of most of the other candidates for the role. He’s doing a better job of it so far too, popping over a couple of pearlers from the Headingley touchline last week.
Makinson’s replacement in the 21-man squad is not a back but a forward. Curtis Sironen’s absence from part one of this double header was attributed to back spasms but he has been declared fit enough for consideration this week. With Whitley likely to feature at centre and Matty Lees reestablished as the starting prop alongside Alex Walmsley and hooker Daryl Clark the choice for Wellens is of which two of Sione Mata’utia, Joe Batchelor and Sironen form the second row pairing.
Batchelor played more minutes than he might have reasonably expected on his first appearance of the season due to the late reorganisation so it will be interesting to see if the boss backs him again from the start or else reinstates Sironen. The former Manly man had been going particularly well before the spasms, after all. Also going well is fan favourite James Bell although calls for him to start at loose forward and move former fan favourite Morgan Knowles to the front row have so far been resisted by Wellens.
Rhinos boss Rohan Smith welcomes back two key players into his initial selection. Centre Paul Momirovski missed out on a first taste of a Leeds-Saints dust up with a shoulder injury but looks set to get the opportunity this time. Prop Sam Lisone has been suspended for the last three games but is eligible again. Young back rower Leon Ruan and centre Ned McCormack are the unfortunates to miss out from last week’s 21.
All of which should see unpredictable rugby union 7s star Lachie Miller line up at fullback again. Luis Roberts will probably deputise for the scarcely seen David Fusitu’a on one wing opposite Super League’s top meat pie grabber in 2024 Ash Handley on the other. Momirowski should return to the centres alongside Harry Newman allowing Rhyse Martin to return to the pack. Brodie Croft and Matt Frawley have showed signs of a serviceable combination in the halves in the early weeks of the year and will likely get to try again.
Lisone will join a prop rotation that also includes England international Mikolaj Oledzki as well as the slightly unreliable Justin Sangare. Tom Holroyd is the man for those with simpler front row tastes. The arrival of Andy Ackers from Salford has meant less time at acting half for Jarred ‘son of Tez’ O’Connor but the latter is versatile enough to contribute elsewhere. Unlike pops who hasn’t diversified from the expression ‘front foot’ since 2017.
James Bentley survived being folded like a tortilla by Mata’utia late in the last meeting and will no doubt take his place in the second row alongside Martin. James Donaldson and Mikael Goudemand aren’t bad replacements to have in that area. Leeds’ back row looks as strong as anyone’s, except Saints. Cameron Smith is always an entertaining watch not least because if he’s having a stinker you can distract yourself from it by trying to count how many haircuts he has.
There are a plethora of previous Challenge Cup meetings between these two which I could bring up here as if they will have any bearing on this week’s result. They met in two Wembley finals in the 1970s, a time when the West Yorkshire club could not have conceived of one day being named after a horned beast which gorges on carrots. In the first of those finals Saints took the trophy 16-13 in 1972 thanks in part to five Kel Coslett goals, while six years later Leeds gained revenge with a 14-12 win beneath the Twin Towers.
The last time they were paired together in the Challenge Cup it was Saints who prevailed, winning 26-18 in April 2021. Makinson scored two tries in that match as did Regan Grace, another whose pace and threat on the wing is noticeably absent these days. Saints went on to win the cup that season, ending a 13-year wait to lift the trophy when they beat Castleford Tigers 26-12. The Rhinos’ last cup success was a year prior to that when they beat Salford 17-16 at a national stadium rendered empty by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last week’s tussle is clearly a better guide to what will happen in this one. After a fast start Leeds faded badly in that one. The Saints defence overwhelmed them in the end. Finding enough points to trouble Wellens’ men is going to be Leeds’ biggest problem. If they have a spell on top again they need to capitalise more heavily than they did a week ago. Saints probably won’t need more than 14 points to see themselves through to another last eight tie. And you wouldn’t bet against them getting them. Saints by 12.
Squads;
Leeds Rhinos;
1 Lachie Miller 3 Harry Newman 4 Paul Momirovski 5 Ash Handley 6 Brodie Croft 7 Matt Frawley 8 Mikolaj Oledzki 9 Andy Ackers 10 Tom Holroyd 11 James Bentley 12 Rhyse Martin 13 Cameron Smith 14 Jarrod O'Connor 15 Sam Lisone 16 James McDonnell 17 Justin Sangare 18 Mickael Goudemand 21 Jack Sinfield 24 Luis Roberts 25 James Donaldson 29 Alfie Edgell
Saints;
1. Jack Welsby, 3. Waqa Blake, 5. Jon Bennison, 6. Jonny Lomax, 7. Lewis Dodd, 8. Alex Walmsley, 9. Daryl Clark, 10. Matty Lees, 11. Sione Mata’utia, 12. Joe Batchelor, 13. Morgan Knowles, 14. Moses Mbye, 15. James Bell, 16. Curtis Sironen, 18. Jake Wingfield, 19. Matt Whitley, 20. George Delaney, 21. Ben Davies, 22. Sam Royle, 23. Konrad Hurrell, 25. Tee Ritson.
Referee: Chris Kendall
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