It was a ground-breaking afternoon for the greatest game as Channel 4 became the first free to air channel to cover a Super League encounter as the Leeds Rhinos hosted the Warrington Wolves who are under the new stewardship of ex-Rhinos coach Daryl Powell.

Warrington had sold over 2,000 tickets for the game, and with a big Saturday lunchtime home crowd at Emerald Headingley a vociferous crowd welcomed the sides onto the pitch in wet, blustery and cold winter conditions.

The house was packed, the British public were on their sofas, and the scene was set for a fantastic season opener for these two sides with Grand Final aspirations.

The traditional Festive Challenge between the Leeds Rhinos and Wakefield Trinity brought down the curtain on a 2021 which had ended disappointingly for both sides.

The capacity at Headingley had been voluntarily limited to 9,999 but with some tickets remaining unsold it appeared that COVID concerns were forcing people to stay at home.

The Rhinos named a strong squad and included a young Jack Sinfield who would follow in his famous father’s footsteps and make his first senior appearance alongside new arrivals Aidan Sezer, James Bentley and Blake Austin.

Trinity looked somewhat weaker on paper with a large number of first-teamers standing down but they also gave debuts to new arrivals including Corey Hall, Lee Gaskell, and Liam Hood.

A place at Old Trafford, to take on minor premiers the Catalans Dragons, was on offer for the winners of tonight’s games between the defending Champions St Helens and the Leeds Rhinos.

Saints ended the regular season in second spot and were strong favourites to beat a Leeds side who had spent the season chasing a play-off place and who only qualified in sixth spot after a good run at the end of the season.

Few thought the Rhinos could hold back the Saints tide.

The Women’s Super League Final will be contested by the familiar names of Ste Helens and Leeds Rhinos in two weeks’ time after a double header of contrasting semi-finals.

The Leeds Rhinos comfortable win over Hull KR last weekend secured them a play-off trip to the DW Stadium to take on a Wigan Warriors side who are blowing hot and cold as the Super League 2021 season entered its knock-out stage.

The two sides met a month ago when the Rhinos won a 14-0 victory, denying Wigan a point at home for the first time in Super League, while the meeting back in April ended in Wigans favour by a 19-6 score line.

The Warriors were slight favourites with the bookies to make progress, but the Rhinos were only given a two-point start on the handicap coupon.

The 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League Grand Final saw the Leyland Warriors face the Leeds Rhinos at Medway Park in Gillingham as the Rhinos looked to clinch a famous treble but who had been pushed close by their opponents earlier in the season despite losing all five encounters.

With the support of wheelchair form of the sport gathering momentum based on its speed and intensity, the events showpiece final was broadcast live by SKY for the first time as they bring three Grand Finals to our viewing screens over the coming weeks.

The Rhinos were clear favourites having gone the entire season unbeaten, but the Warriors were confident that they could spring a surprise.

What would have been a play off for the play-offs between the Leeds Rhinos and Hull KR had turned into a fight for the fifth and sixth spots and a shoot out as to who will play the Warrington Wolves, and who will face the Wigan Warriors, next weekend.

The maths was simple, a Hull KR win, or a draw after Golden Point would see the Robins face the Warriors and the Rhinos at the Wolves while a Leeds win would see a reverse of that permutation.

Both sides named their strongest available seventeens as they both looked to gain some form of momentum to take into what will be a challenging potential road to Old Trafford.

As if there wasn’t enough to play for in a Saints – Leeds game, there was added incentive for both sides as they knew that a win would help them achieve one of their immediate goals, Saints knowing that a win would guarantee them runners up spot, and the Rhinos in the full knowledge that win would guarantee their inclusion in the play-offs.

Saints had Joe Batchelor in the starting line-up for the injured Leeds bound James Bentley, meanwhile the Rhinos were without James Donaldson who withdrew today through illness and Corey Johnson was named on the bench for his first game since September 2019.

Saints were the bookies favourites for the win with the Rhinos being given a twelve-point start on the coupon.

A place in the play-off’s was up for grabs as the third game of the Magic Weekend got underway with fifth placed Leeds Rhinos taking on a Hull FC side currently in seventh spot with a win Airlie Birds drawing them level with their opponents on fifty percent win percentage.

Leeds were without the perennially suspended Zane Tetevano and a whole host of injured players which saw Richie Myler moved into the halves and Jack Broadbent at full back.

FC made two changes with Jamie Shaul and Carlos Tuimavave back in their starting line-up as the Black and Whites looked to overcome being bookies underdogs and keep their hopes of a play-off place alive.

Fifth placed Leeds Rhinos, looking to secure a play-off place, travelled to play a Wakefield Trinity side who started the game in tenth position in the Super League but who were safe from relegation worries and starting to find their feet with two wins in their last three outings.

The Rhinos made just one chance from the side which beat Wigan last time out with Callum McLelland  taking the place of Morgan Gannon as he returned from illness while new Trinity coach Willie Poching came into the game with a side primed to overturn the 15-13 defeat suffered earlier in the season.

The Rhinos were odds on with the bookies for the win with the home side being given a six-point start on the handicap coupon.

With just five games remaining in the regular rounds of Super League 2021 the race for the all-important top-six was heating up as fourth placed Wigan Warriors hosted a Leeds Rhinos currently sitting in seventh spot, but who knew that a win would lift them into fifth above both Hull clubs.

Wigan were without the suspended Willie Isa but Jai Field and Brad Singleton both returned to the starting line-up alongside a John Bateman who had a one game suspension overturned on appeal, while the Rhinos were without a ill Callum McLelland but with Rhyse Martin, Matt Prior and Cameron Smith all back in the seventeen.

The Warriors were slight favourites for the win with the Rhinos being given a two-point start on the coupon, but there was very little in it for the pundits who were divided on who would take the win to improve their league win percentage.

The last three games between the Leeds Rhinos and Huddersfield Giants have seen the sides separated by just a single point and with both sides hovering around the middle of the table and fielding weakened teams, there was a school of thought that tonight’s match would also be a close affair.

It was ‘Rivals’ week and there was increased poignancy brought about by the attendance of south stand hero, and guest of honour, Rob Burrow who was taking the opportunity to launch his book ‘Too Many Reasons to Live’.

While a win wouldn’t make the Giants mathematically safe from relegation in reality it would take a catastrophe of monumental proportions to see them overtaken by Leigh Centurions, while the Rhinos are walking a fine tightrope to the play off’s and came into the game knowing that a loss could cost their aspirations dear.

The last time these two sides met the Leeds Rhinos were runaway 60-6 winners over the Castleford Tigers, inflicting their largest ever Super League win at Wheldon Road and securing massive bragging rights for the Rhinos fans.

Castleford were getting back to something resembling full strength after issues in recent weeks, but the Rhinos were without skipper Matt Prior due to Covid protocols and in the absence of Luke Gale who was serving a suspension, Ash Handley was named as captain for the night.

Leeds were the favourites for the win and to widen the gap between themselves in sixth and the Tigers in eighth with the bookies giving the visitors an eight-point start on the coupon.

Fresh from a big win against Hull FC the Leeds Rhinos were back at Emerald Headingley for an unusual Sunday evening kick-off against another side who are flying high, a Warrington Wolves who gave a debut George Williams following his early return from Australia.

It would be an emotional night for the home supporters as they said and fond goodbye to Kevin Sinfield after twenty-four honour filled years at the club as player, captain, and first ever Leeds Director of Rugby.

Warrington were slight favourites to take the win, but there were few pundits who would back against a Leeds win despite them getting a four-point start on the coupon after they took the points when the two sides met just four weeks ago.

Hull FC were looking to consolidate their newly acquired fourth spot in the Super League table with a home victory over the arch enemy, Leeds Rhinos, when the two sides met for a Thursday evening game at the MKM Stadium two months after their last meeting, which ended in a six point Hull victory.

The Rhinos saw the return of Mikolaj Oledzki and Zane Tetevano as well as ex-skipper Luke Gale who was dropped in controversial circumstances last week.

Marc Sneyd was pulling on his Hull FC shirt for the 250^th time for Brett Hodgson’s side.

The home side were narrow favourites to triumph, but the bookies had given the visitors just a two-point start on the coupon, and the pundits were struggling to choose a winner.

Following back to back losses to the Catalans Dragons, the Leeds Rhinos had what looked like, on paper, a simpler fixture as they welcomed strugglers Salford Red Devils to Headingley and a full unrestricted crowd for the first time since the start of the COVID epidemic.

For the Red Devils Ata Hingano was given his debut with a start from the bench while the Rhinos welcomed back King Vuniyayawa and kicker Rhyse Martin but were without the services of Luke Gale, Mikolaj Oledzki and Tom Holroyd.

Neither sides league position would benefit from a win but for both it would increase the buffer over the chasing clubs and for Salford it could be the win that finally secures their safety in Superleague as it would leave the Leigh Centurions requiring five emphatic wins from their remaining games to catch them up.

A week after the Catalans Dragons came from behind to secure victory at Emerald Headingley, the Leeds Rhinos travelled to the south of France in a re-arranged round ten fixture on the eve of tomorrow’s Challenge Cup Final.

Neither side would alter their league position with either a loss or a victory but a win for the Dragons would mover them further clear of tomorrow’s cup finalists, St Helens, while a win for the Rhinos would edge them closer to sixth placed Hull KR on win percentage and increase their margin ahead of the other Wembley bound side, the Castleford Tigers.

The Dragons were massive favourites with the bookies for the win with the Rhinos being given a fourteen-point start on the handicap coupon.

Something had to give at Emerald Headingley as a Leeds Rhinos side, unbeaten in their last  four games came up against a top of the table Catalans Dragons side who were unbeaten since losing in the Challenge Cup at the beginning of May and who were on a winning run in Super League going back as far as the 24^th April.

Leeds coach Richard Agar welcomed back skipper Luke Gale, Richie Myler, King Vuniyayawa and Cameron Smith while the league leaders were without the services of Gil Dudson and Micky McIlorum who missing through suspension and injury.

The bookies made the away side slight favourites but there wasn’t a lot in it, the Rhinos being given just a four-point start in the handicap coupon.

Although a victory over the Leeds Rhinos in Monday night’s round thirteen game would put the Warrington Wolves ahead of all challengers in terms of competition points, it would still leave them in third spot in the table on the win percentage ladder.

The Rhinos also knew that they couldn’t improve their position in the league table with a win, but they would pull further clear of a Castleford Tigers side who were today awarded a 24-0 victory over Huddersfield as the Giants are unable to fulfil their fixture tomorrow evening.

Warrington were big favourites to continue a winning run going back over a month while the Rhinos are unbeaten since the 23^rd of May, having lost a number of fixtures to Coronavirus.

After just one outing in June, the Rhinos were looking to get July underway with a third successive 2021 victory as they took on a struggling Leigh Centurions at Emerald Headingley in one of the surviving Round Twelve fixtures.

Leeds were without Luke Gale, Alex Mellor and Bodene Thompson after the all picked up bans following the bad-tempered meeting with the Salford Red Devils, Konrad Hurrell was added to the casualty list after suffering a head impact assessment failure in the same match.

The Centurions were without Tyrone McCarthy and Ben Reynolds who both picked up injuries against the Warrington Wolves on their last outing, but Adam Sidlow and Alex Gerrard returned from injury.