A club in turmoil, the Leeds Rhinos, took the short drive down the road to Wakefield to take on a Trinity side who have their eyes set firmly set on securing a play-off place, and ending the season as Yorkshires top placed outfit.

The home side were without David Fifita, who picked up an ankle injury at the Magic Weekend, but Junior Sa’u was back after missing last weekend's Challenge Cup game due to being cup tied.

Leeds had Tui Lolohea and Konrad Hurrell amongst a side which also saw newly announced departing captain Kallum Watkins named in the second row.

The Rhinos were desperate for a win, and a much needed two points.

After Wakefield won the earlier season fixture quite comfortably, there was just two points between the sides when Trinity picked up the points in mid-April.

The most eagerly anticipated game of the Magic weekend was the Sunday encounter in game five between the Leeds Rhinos and London Broncos.

At the start of the game the sides occupied the bottom two places in Super League and the loser would find themselves two points adrift at the foot of the table at the halfway stage of the season.

Both sides have a fifty percent record at the Magic weekend, the Rhinos with six from twelve and the Broncos with four from eight.

The Broncos won the only previous encounter between these two sides in 2019 by 18-16 and the Rhinos needed to end a three game losing streak.

The Rhinos were strong favourites with the bookies but their fans doubted whether their stand in coach Richard Agar could take the points off former Leeds Star Danny Ward’s side.

But it’s six years since the Rhinos won at a Magic Weekend.

The last time that these two sides met was back in round seven when the Tigers came back from a sixteen point deficit to level the scores at full time, only to be beaten by the Rhinos in Golden Point thanks to a Brad Dwyer drop goal, the first of his career.

While the Tigers have had their problems since that loss, including last weeks cup exit to Hull FC, they are nothing compared to the Rhinos sacking their coach before they exited the Challenge Cup at the hands of Championship side, the Bradford Bulls.

The Tigers are now seventh in Super League, with the Rhinos languishing in twelfth.

A Castleford win could see them up into third spot while a win for the Rhinos, in front of a newly opened North Stand at Headingley, would lift them above the Giants and into ninth.

There was plenty of history between the two sides meeting at Odsal Stadium in Bradford and the Bulls and the Rhinos redrew the battle lines in a Challenge Cup which has seen many encounters over the last couple of decades.

The Rhinos faced their first outing  under the custodianship of Richard Agar after partig company with Dave Furner during the week while the home side will have been well-drilled by Cup shock supremo John Kear.

The last time that these two sides met in the Challenge Cup was the Final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in 2003 where the Bulls ran out as 24-22 victors.

But in 2019 it was Leeds who were massive favourites for the win and progress into the quarter finals.

The top two sides in the WSL met at the Mend-a-Hose Jungle as Castleford Tigers took on the Leeds Rhinos for the honour of ending round three at the top of the pile.

Something had to give as both sides brought a one hundred percent record into the game.

Leeds won all four encounters in 2018 so the Tigers ladies had a point to prove as the two sides met for the first time in 2019 Womens Super League.

These two shining lights in the ladies game were ready to put on a show for a decent crowd on a perfect looking pitch.

Even at the quarter season stage, tonights match was a must win for both combatents as Hull KR hosted the Leeds Rhinos.

A win for KR would lift them into seventh spot in a tight bottom half of the Super League table but a loss by twenty-five points or more would see them into bottom spot.

For the Rhinos, a win by fifteen points would see them up to ninth, but a loss would cut them further adrift at the bottom.

The Robins brought Taioalo Vaivai, Robbie Mulhern, and Rhinos old boy, Danny McGuire into their starting line-up after a narrow defeat at the league leaders, St Helens, last weekend.

The Rhinos were without Richie Myler who picked up a suspension after last weeks Golden Point win against the Castleford Tigers, and had trialist Wellington Albert on the bench for his first outing in the Blue and Amber.

Most Leeds supporters making their way into Headingley tonight were hoping for the best but expecting the worst against a Castleford Tigers side who themselves were heavily beaten by St Helens last time out.

The Rhinos were without Brett Ferres who picked up a two game suspension for the use of the knees in the loss in Perpignan last weekend while Daryl Powell made one change to his losing side with Will Maher replacing Tuoyo Egodo.

A win by four points of more would lift Leeds off the bottom of the table, but Castleford were intent on the win to keep up the pressure on the two sides above them.

Two teams at the wrong end of the table clashed in Perpignan as the Catalans Dragons took on bottom side, the Leeds Rhinos, with both outfits desperate for the two points.

A home win would see the Dragons up to fifth but if the Rhinos should get the two points then they’d be up to tenth, at least until tomorrow.

The Catalans Dragons had no Sam Moa or Greg Bird with Julian Bousquet and Michael Goudemand called into the starting thirteen.

The Rhinos were without Lolohea, who had not made the trip, but did have skipper Kallum Watkins and old head Jamie Jones-Buchanan back in their side.

Conditions in the south of France were perfect for an open game of rugby, and a decent crowd was inside the Stade Gilbert Brutus.

Following a minutes silence for the Legendary Peter Fox, Leeds v Wakefield got underway at a 3/4 finished Headingly Stadium, within 3 minutes the ball
is spread wide and Ash Handley crosses in the corner however Lolohea misses the conversion.



Only 5 minutes in and both skippers called in as referee Chris Kendall puts an incident on report by Wakefield, no penalty, Rhinos still in possession.



Almost a replica try Toupou to Tom Jonstone with Danny Brough adding the extras.



The video referee awards the try to Johnstone but the conversion attempt is missed by Brough 4-10 after 16 minutes

Fresh from their convincing victory over the Salford Red Devils last weekend, the Rhinos were once again on the other side of the Penines, this time to take on a St Helens side looking to maintain their one hundred percent record and with one eye on the top of the table.

Dave Furner made three changes with Oledzki and Sutcliffe back in his seventeen and a late withdrawal of Matt Parcell with injury meaning the Cameron Smith kept his place in the side.

Saints were unchanged for the third consecutive match of their 2019 campaign.

This is a fixture which is rarely a dull one, but the odds were in Saints favour to record the win.

Top against bottom as the Salford Red Devils hosted the Leeds Rhinos in an early round ten match, on the weekend of the World Club Challenge.

Salford had the chance to go two points clear of the pack if they could record their third consecutive win at the start of the season, a thirty-nine point win could lift the Rhinos up to fifth in the embryonic league table.

Ian Watson had the luxury of naming an unchanged side for the third consecutive week, Dave Furner’s Rhinos were without Liam Sutcliffe and Mikolaj Oledzki but did welcome back Brad Singleton.

The bottom two sides in a fledgling Super League 2019 table met at the DW Stadium as the Wigan Warriors hosted the Leeds Rhinos.

Wigan needed the points to overcome their points deduction, while the Rhinos needed a win before bad habits set in under the new stewardship of Dave Furner.

This was the last chance for Wigan to hit some form ahead of their World Club Series match against the Sydney Roosters a week on Sunday, but the Rhinos and their travelling band of fans were looking to upset the overwhelming bookies odds and pick up a victory.

The only change for the Warriors was a switch of Clubb changing places with Navarrete in the starting thirteen.

The Rhinos had Dwyer and Peteru in the run on side with Cuthbertson and Parcell moved onto the bench.

Just as they did on the opening weekend last season, the Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhinos got their season underway with an encounter at Halliwell-Jones Stadium.

Despite the Rhinos taking the honours by 16-12 in the corresponding fixture last season, the fortunes of the two sides couldn’t have been any more different, with the Wolves making the Grand Final while the Rhinos fought for their Super League place in the middle eights.

While the watchword for Warrington was continuity, with the odd well-chosen new signing to their squad, the Rhinos had big personel changes in terms as playing staff, as well as ex-player Dave Furner taking over as head coach.

With the Salford Red Devils guaranteeing themselves Super League rugby in 2019, tonight it was the turn of the Leeds Rhinos and Toronto Wolfpack to bite their nails and be the masters of their own destiny.

A Toronto win by more than thirty-two points would guarantee them back-to-back promotions and entry into the top flight,while potentially pushing the Rhinos into the Million Pound Game.

A Rhinos win, draw, or loss by less than thirty-two points would mean that the Rhinos would be safe and it would probably be Toronto in the end of season decider, most likely as the away side.

The first ever meeting between these two sides couldn’t have come at a more crucial time for both clubs.

 

After the other Qualifiers results over the weekend the Rhinos travelled to winless Halifax in the knowledge that while a win wouldn’t guarantee them Super League in 2019, a big win would get them within touching distance as they prepare to take on Toronto Wolfpack in the last round.

A loss for the Rhinos, unthinkable for football manager Sinfield and their travelling fans, could conceivably see them ending up in the dreaded Million Pound Game.

Halifax, already out of the promotion equasion were simply there to be a thorn in the Rhinos side and hoped to inflict as much pain as they could on their old enemy.

After their big defeat at the hands of Salford in their opening Qualifiers fixture, Hull KR went to Toronto and got the win to revitalise their campaign to retain their Super League place.

But today they had the biggest of tests as they visited the tournaments favourites with a trip to Headingley to take on the Leeds Rhinos.

Danny McGuire was making his first playing return to the ground where he won so many honours, this time with the intention of spoiling the Rhinos party and boosting his new side chances.

He was joined by a handful of ex-Rhinos against a still injury ravaged home side.

It was the most appetising Qualifiers game of the weekend in a third round of great looking fixtures.

Ex-team mates Kevin Sinfield and Danny Ward faced a head-to-head battle at the Trailfinders Sports Ground as the Leeds Rhinos travelled to Ealing, London to take on the Broncos.

Both sides came into the game after winning their opening Qualifiers game, with both looking to make it two out of two as they continue their quest for Super League in 2019.

The Rhinos bad luck with injuries continued last week against Toulouse but they did wecome back Stevie Ward and Liam Sutcliffe to their ranks.

  It was a strong London side, captained by ex-Rhino Jay Pitts, and Ward was determined to make sure that his side gave his former employers a nightmare day at the office.

The Leeds Rhinos and Toulouse Olympique XIII ventured into the unknown when they met in the opening round of the Super Eights Qualifiers at Headingley this afternoon.

Both sides were looking to follow the London Broncos and Salford Red Devils with a win but with the only previous meeting betwen the two sides being a cup semi-final over a decade ago there was very little to go on except current form in their respective divisions.

On paper the Rhinos were the big favourites but with their recent apalling form there was always a chance that Toulouse would use their Gallic flair and spring a massive surprise on their hosts in a rare Staurday afternoon encounter in front of the SKY TV cameras.

After a sensational upset in the first game of the Bolton double header, the Dragons beating Saints, the stadium was all set for the Wolves to take on the Rhinos with the bookies again having heavy favourites, this time it was the primrose and blue of the side from Warrington.

The Rhinos had a number of players returning to their side including Richie Myler, Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Ryan Hall.

It was the best line up that coach Kevin Sinfield could have hoped for but his side were still heavy underdogs against a Warrington side who have only won one in their last four outings.

What would the magic of the cup deliver for the second helping of cup semi-final action of the afternoon.

The Leeds Rhinos have pulled up a stool and ordered a drink in the last chance saloon as they entertain a Wakefield Trinity side for whom the two points are equally as crucial as they attempted to guarantee their position in the top eight.

A win for the Rhinos would leave them in ninth spot but just a point behind their opponents and two points behind the Catalans Dragons and Huddersfield Giants and extend them a lifeline to avoid the dreaded middle eights for the second time in three years.

An expectant Headingley held their breath to see if their returning hero Kevin Sinfield could record his first victory at the helm of the side for which he won so many playing honours.