Wakefield Trinity vs Leeds Rhinos
Venue: Emerald Headingley
Kick-off: Saturday 27th March, 3pm
Head-to-Head
Last Five Results: Wakefield 18-20 Leeds (01/11/20), Leeds 6-30 Wakefield (29/10/20), Wakefield 0-10 Leeds (07/06/19), Wakefield 26-24 Leeds (22/04/19), Leeds 18-35 Wakefield (01/03/19)
Preview
Wakefield and Leeds begin the season with a Yorkshire derby at Headingley with the Rhinos looking to kick on from last season’s Challenge Cup success. Trinity will be desperate to pick up some early season points and avoid a relegation battle this term.
Chris Chester is able to name both Tom Johnstone and David Fifita in his 21-man squad after the pair sat out their pre-season clash a fortnight ago. Max Jowitt, Kyle Wood, Jay Pitts, Eddie Battye and Ryan Hampshire are all unavailable.
Richard Agar includes new signings Zane Tetevano, King Vuniyayawa and Kyle Eastmond, while captain Luke Gale is also deemed fit enough to make the initial 21-man squad. The Rhinos will be without Jack Walker, Harry Newman, Konrad Hurrell, Ash Handley and Rob Lui through injury.
Prediction
I think this will be an excellent clash on Saturday afternoon with Tom Johnstone available for Trinity, and Leeds missing a host of key players. The Rhinos will no doubt be expected to take the two points but I fancy Wakefield to upset the odds at Headingley. The Dreadnoughts ended the 2020 season in decent form and will want to get points on the board early this campaign.
