7 Feb 2020

Opposition Profile: Leeds Rhinos

Taking a look at the side from down the M62 ahead of our derby this weekend

By Joe Buck

Giants conquered their first challenge of 2020 on Saturday with a very impressive 32-12 win in the south of France against Catalans Dragons.

And this weekend they face yet another huge battle – Leeds are coming to the John Smith’s Stadium.

The Rhinos, who were humbled 30-4 at home against Hull on Sunday, will be coming to Huddersfield with a whole lot to prove.

Richard Agar’s men were defeated handsomely by a Hull outfit that battered and bruised the Headingley side from the first minute.

This should ring alarm bells for Giants, however, because, as we all know, when the odds are against them, there’s very few Super League teams that overcome adversity more often than Rhinos.

Leeds will also be hoping to get points on the board quickly to avoid playing catch-up again, something that cost them dearly in 2019.

However, this by no means makes Leeds clear favourites for this game because, as shown at the weekend, Giants can win big games, and do it with little problem.

The Claret and Gold have so far played Wakefield - in pre-season - and Catalans in 2020 and they have impressed in both.

The main takeaway from the team performance in those games is the professionalism to simply get the job done.

While Catalans had players sin-binned, Giants remained calm and, building on the foundation of a solid defence, ensured they kept the scoreboard ticking over.

They will need to do that on Sunday to make sure their visitors can’t build up any momentum and exploit any shakiness in a Giants team still fresh from narrowly avoiding relegation last season.

Giants will also have to be wary of Ash Handley, who scored three tries against them last season, including two in the 44-0 humiliation in August.

Handley has already hit the ground running this season, scoring Leeds’ only points on Sunday, and could have had another with a flying effort but was judged to be narrowly out of play.

If Huddersfield can nullify Handley and grab a victory on Sunday, the knock-on effect could be huge. It took Giants until Round Seven to record two Super League victories last campaign, meaning a win on Sunday would put Giants five weeks ahead of last season’s points haul.

They would also gain the intangibles that come with back-to-back victories, confidence and momentum.

For too long, Giants have started the season behind the eight ball and playing catch-up before the season has really started. Victory over Catalans is a great platform for the 2020 season to be built upon and it’s now up to head coach Simon Woolford and his team to get another victory on the board.

Are Leeds Rhinos going to be a pushover? Of course not.

Are players like Handley, Luke Gale and Harry Newman going to be a huge test for the Giants defence? Of course, they are. Would even the most hardened Leeds Rhinos fan want their side to be playing Aidan Sezer’s Huddersfield Giants next up?

Definitely not.

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