Rugby League Challenge Cup Semi-Finals

LEEDS RHINOS V
WIGAN WARRIORS
SEASON SO FAR...
Lying fourth in the table with a near
64 per cent win ratio and arriving
here today on the back of one loss
and four straight wins shows the
Rhinos to be in a good place.
The season started off with a resounding
4-30 defeat at home to Hull FC but that
was followed by four wins including a 36-0
televised home win over Warrington Wolves
at the end of February. A massive 66-12 win
over Toronto followed but that is now erased
from the records. The Covid shutdown
followed and we all wondered if the season
would restart. 150 days later, Rugby League
as whole showed its resilience and the
players, fully tested, were back on the pitch.
The first game was away to Huddersfield
and victory was recorded by the slimmest of
margins 27-26, a win that included a crucial
drop goal by Gale.
The following week a rampant St Helens
arrived at Headingley and ran out 0-48
winners, this was followed by a 10-28
reverse at Wigan.
Richie Myler was the stand out player the
following week with a hat trick of tries from
his new role as full back. Leeds beat last
year’s finalists Salford 50-12 and many who
had written off the Rhinos took a second
look and thought maybe they could be
playoff contenders.
Another narrow win over Huddersfield
followed (13-12) and then a week later the
Rhinos put Hull Kingston Rovers to sleep in
the Challenge Cup Quarter Finals 48-18.
A week later Hull KR hosted Leeds and the
Rhinos showed how they were continuing to
improve with a 41-16 win.
If Rhinos win today they have
big games coming up in
the next fortnight at home
to Castleford and away to
Warrington. There are no easy
games these days and with
the games coming thick
and fast, it’s all about
keeping players on the
field and keeping them fit.
Interruptions with Covid
testing is a new thing in
2020 but it is the world we
currently live in.
The season ends with a
Grand Final scheduled in for 28th
November, what a great early
Christmas present that would be
for the Rhinos faithful ... but first is
the Challenge Cup and a win today
would set up a great final against
either Warrington Wolves or Salford.
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