Leeds Rhinos v Saints - Preview

Saints will be looking to bounce back from their first defeat of 2024 when they visit Leeds Rhinos on Friday night (March 15). 

Paul Wellens’ side suffered a surprise home reverse to Salford Red Devils last time out as Mark Percival’s red card proved the catalyst for a stirring comeback by Paul Rowley’s men.  If the need for Saints to get back to winning ways is urgent, the Rhinos clash was made more intriguing when the Challenge Cup Sixth Round draw decreed that the pair will meet at the same venue exactly a week after Friday’s league encounter. Will either side show a full hand?

Defeat by Salford followed three successive wins to open the season for Saints as all of London Broncos, Huddersfield Giants and Leigh Leopards were overcome with varying degrees of comfort.  That still leaves the red vee in a decent position at this early stage of the campaign so there should be no need for panic.  

Likewise Leeds will be happy with how they have begun their year.  They too have suffered only one defeat in four games, going down to Hull KR while earning victories over Salford, Catalans Dragons and Leigh. 

Wellens has made three changes to his 21-man squad as he welcomes back three established stars but also loses one.  Matty Lees is involved again after missing the last two with a chest problem picked up at Huddersfield which required a hospital visit.  Meanwhile back rower Joe Batchelor could be in line for his first appearance of the season having been ruled out to this point with a collarbone injury sustained in pre-season.  

The third change sees centre Konrad Hurrell return having served a one-match suspension for some very accidental looking head contact on the Giants’ Ricky Leutele in the win at the John Smith’s Stadium. 

All three could feature in the 17 which would see some very good players miss out.  This might not be the most lightning fast Saints outfit you have ever seen but there is depth in most positions.  Hurrell should slot into the centres alongside Waqa Blake in the absence of Percival, while Lees will hope to rejoin the prop rotation alongside Alex Walmsley, George Delaney and Sione Mata’utia.  

Curtis Sironen misses out this week so Batchelor could just slot in for him at second row opposite Matt Whitley.  Lees’ return means there is no place in this week’s 21 for young prop Noah Stephens who has been involved in recent weeks but is yet to make his competitive first team debut. 

Morgan Knowles is riding high in the Steve Prescott Man Of Steel rankings in the early part of the season and is likely to get the start ahead of James Bell, while Daryl Clark should start at hooker with Moses Mbye waiting on the bench.  Jake Wingfield may be one of those under pressure for his bench spot without really doing anything wrong.  There are going to be some interesting decisions from Wellens this week, particularly with a cup tie against the same opponent coming so quickly into view. 

There are fewer decision to make in the back line where apart from the insertion of Hurrell there should be no surprises.  Jack Welsby may not finish his career at fullback but he looks set to continue there for the foreseeable.  At least as long as Jonny Lomax is around to partner Lewis Dodd in the halves.  

Tommy Makinson holds down one wing spot so the only dilemma is whether to rotate Jon Bennison and offer an opportunity to Tee Ritson for the first time in 2024.  Bennison had quite a fraught evening against the Red Devils, uncharacteristically flapping at high balls in admittedly testing, windy conditions.  By selecting him again Wellens would be affirming his trust of Bennison, who has largely done well on the wing whenever called upon.  

Where that would leave Ritson is another matter.  He has failed to convince at Super League level since his move from Barrow and has not featured in the first team since his loan move from the Cumbrian club was made permanent at the start of this season. In fact, his last start for Saints was in a 32-18 home victory over the Giants back in August. 

Leeds Head Coach Rohan Smith welcomes back two of his pack men from suspension. One of those is the familiar face of James Bentley, a Grand Final winner with Saints during a four season stint between 2018 and 2021. Joining him off the naughty step is James Donaldson, but Sam Lisone is serving the last of a three-game ban picked up in that defeat at Rovers.

There’s problematic news at centre where 2024 signing Paul Momirovski is out with a minor injury. Leeds still have England’s Harry Newman in this position but youngster Ned McCormack has been drafted in as cover. 

Derrell Olpherts’ Leeds career came to an abrupt end as he joined up with Wakefield Trinity this week, while former New Zealand Warrior David Fusitu’a is also out. Luis Roberts looks set to continue on the right wing with Ash Handley a candidate to step into the centre role vacated by Momorovski. Handley is Super League’s top try scorer through the first four rounds having crossed seven times so far. 

Matt Frawley didn’t look like being a Super League success during his stint with Huddersfield in 2019 but has started well at Headingley following four seasons with Canterbury Bulldogs. He partners former Steve Prescott Man Of Steel Brodie Croft with fullback Lachie Miller offering further pace and threat from midfield when he joins in with the attacking play. 

Croft’s former Salford team-mate Andy Ackers is the starting hooker with England’s Mikolaj Oledzki and Tom Holroyd at prop. Bentley could fill one back row spot possibly alongside Rhyse Martin who - like Marc Sneyd before him - could yet make the difference against Saints with his goal-kicking. 

In a game rich with loose forward talent Cameron Smith is probably the best of all of them. The 25 year-old with the superstar name is now the Rhinos captain, such is his increasing influence as he approaches his best years.

Two of the three league meetings between these two in 2023 were decided by a single point. Blake Austin landed the killer drop goal late on the opening night as Saints lost at home for the first time in 2023. After Leeds, only Catalans Dragons would down Saints on their own patch throughout the year. Meanwhile at Headingley in May Saints came away with a 13-12 success as Makinson and Sironen crossed for tries before Dodd won it with a drop-goal. 

By July, the four-point margin of Saints’ 22-18 win looked relatively comfortable by comparison. Welsby scored twice in that one to add to tries from Will Hopoate and some chap called Ritson.

There have been a plethora of playoff games, finals and semi-finals between these two down the years. The last of these was the 2022 Grand Final when Saints ran out 24-12 winners thanks to tries from Bennison, Percival, Hurrell and Lees. We’ll say less about the Grand Finals of 2007-09 or the Challenge Cup final of 1978. 

Back in the present this is a tough one to call. Until or unless the players adapt the reasonably high likelihood of red and yellow cards could tilt the balance significantly one way or the other. Assuming both teams can keep 13 players on the field I’ll tip a wounded Saints to make a statement ahead of the following week’s cup clash. But not by much. Saints by 8.

Squads;

Leeds Rhinos:

1 Lachie Miller 3 Harry Newman 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 16 James McDonnell 17 Justin Sangare 18 Mickael Goudemand 21 Jack Sinfield 23 Leon Ruan 24 Luis Roberts 25 James Donaldson 29 Alfie Edgell 31 Ned McCormack

Saints;

1. Jack Welsby, 2. Tommy Makinson, 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, 18. Jake Wingfield, 19. Matt Whitley, 20. George Delaney, 21. Ben Davies, 22. Sam Royle, 23. Konrad Hurrell, 25. Tee Ritson.

Referee: Jack Smith

Video Referee: Liam Moore