The Yorkshire Post’s rugby league writer, James O’Brien, looks ahead to Saturday’s games between Leeds Rhinos v London Broncos as well as Hull KR v Catalans Dragons
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00:00James, we're going to just take a look at a couple of games involving Yorkshire's clubs.
00:16We're going to start off with Leeds' game at home to London Broncos. It's a should-win
00:22game but also, in many ways, a must-win game as well, yeah?
00:26Yeah, I'd say it's as close at the top level of any sport to a gimme against London.
00:34With the greatest respect, they came into the season not knowing that they won't be
00:38in the Super League next season through the grading system.
00:42So they came in with a hybrid squad, it's got some part-time players in it, which is
00:47quite unbelievable at the top level, but that's the approach they took and no-one can blame
00:51them for that.
00:52But yeah, they've only won one game all season, that was at Hull FC very early on.
00:56They are the whipping boys, it's horrible to say.
00:59So Leeds, without a coach, and I think the fact they're playing London this week maybe
01:03is factored into the fact that they are taking the time over the next appointment, Rowan
01:08Smith's successor.
01:09They've obviously had the two-week break for the internationals and now this London game
01:15and we're not expecting an appointment before this weekend.
01:19So it will be interesting to see who comes in but I wouldn't expect anything before Saturday
01:23and I would expect a routine Leeds victory on Saturday.
01:27Just one more game we're going to take a quick look at ahead of the weekend, Hull KR, Catalan's
01:33Hull KR very much in the race for top spot, particularly after the weekend before the
01:37England game with Saints losing to Salford, the level on points with Saints, 2 behind
01:44Wigan.
01:45How high, James, can this Hull KR team go?
01:51Very good question.
01:53I think it's within sight, obviously, as you've just explained, but they're up against two
01:57very, very strong clubs and sides that have been there and done it before, Wigan and Saints.
02:02I think Hull KR's objective does have to be the top two spot.
02:07With that comes a week off, which isn't all important, but that home semi-final, given
02:12their record at Craven Park, given how they look at Craven Park, it's night and day the
02:18way they approach games at Craven Park, with the energy and intent and the crowd behind
02:23them.
02:24So, if they can get into that top two and get that home semi-final, I would back Hull
02:28KR to get to a first-round final, but on the flip side, if they were to play at Wigan or
02:33St Helens, it's hard to make a case for them going there and winning, based on the evidence
02:37we've seen, their away record, they've only won one game outside York since last February
02:43and that was at London.
02:44So, that says it all, really, and if they could finish in that top two, the League Leader
02:49Shield would be a very welcome bonus on top of that, but I think the main objective has
02:54to be to get that home semi-final, which would take them part of the way there to Old Trafford,
03:00which is where everyone wants to get to at the end of the season.