The Rhinos travel to Odsal for a fiery clash with rivals Bradford in the sixth round of the Challenge Cup.
TEAM FORM GUIDE
Bradford Bulls
The Bulls come into this game on the back of a thorough loss to Toronto Wolfpack last Saturday. The defeat saw them drop to sixth in the table. However they have shown flashes of brilliance this season, and their league position does not tell the full story in a very competitive Championship.
Leeds Rhinos
Many were shocked by the Rhinos swift sacking of coach David Furner, after just fourteen league games. However, the Rhinos currently sit in tenth place, having won just four of those 14 games, and looked out of their depth last week against a capable Salford side.
SQUAD NEWS
Bradford Bulls
Jake Webster and Colton Roche return to the Bulls 19-man squad, replacing Brandon Pickersgill and Evan Hodgson.
Also named in the squad is half Jordan Lilley, on loan from Leeds but who admitted this week he sees his future away from Leeds.
Joining Lilley are former Rhinos Elliot Minchella and Sam Hallas. Minchella the only player in the Bulls’ squad to have played in the fixture before.
Bradford 19-man squad:ย Crossley, Doyle, Farrell, Foggin-Johnston, Grant, Green, Hallas, Kirk, Lilley, Milnes, Minchella, Oakes, Peltier, Roche, Ryan, Storton, Webster, Wildie, Wood
Leeds Rhinos
Centre Konrad Hurrell returns to the 19 man squad for the first time since his injury against Huddersfield on Good Friday.
Ashton Golding has also been included in the squad, and could receive a starting spot as Jack Walker is out injured.
Fans will also be excited to see new signing Ava Seumanufagai, who featured in the defeat to Salford, despite signing for the club less than 48 hours prior to kick off.
Leeds Rhinos 19-man squad: Briscoe, Watkins, Hurrell, Handley, Lolohea, Myler, Cuthbertson, Parcell, Merrin, Dwyer, Sutcliffe, Peteru, Oledzki, Golding, Smith, McLelland, Newman, Albert, Seumanufagai
HEAD TO HEAD
This fixture has been named by many as the biggest rivalry in rugby league. The two sides spent much of the 2000’s battling for supremacy and despite differing fortunes in the time since, there is still a great animosity between the two clubs.
The sides haven’t met in a competitive game since 2014, and there will be eight players who were involved in that fixture who still play for the clubs. However, Elliot Minchella has since moved on from the Rhinos, and now plays for Bradford, while prop James Donaldson has gone the other way. The last game between the two sides ended with a 46-6 Rhinos victory. Current Rhinos Liam Sutcliffe and Kallum Watkins were both on the score sheet that day.
KEY BATTLE
Jordan Lilley (Bradford Bulls) v Richie Myler (Leeds Rhinos)
The Rhinos decided against promoting from within when they brought in half back Richie Myler, following the departure of Danny McGuire. This meant young star Jordan Lilley was shipped of to the Bulls in a loan move. He has excelled since making the move, and could prove to be a thorn in Leeds’ side all afternoon. It will be up to Myler to prove Leeds made the right choice, with some fans still questioning the decision to bring him in.
THE IMPORTANT DETAILS
Date:ย Saturday May 11th 2019
Venue:ย Odsal Stadium
Kick-off: 2:30pm
WHO WILL WIN?
This game will be a very close, nervy affair, and the Bulls will be extremely close to the standard of the Rhinos. However, it is difficult to look past Leeds’ Super League pedigree: Leeds win 32-24.
