Leeds’ Season of Firework Rugby Ends Without a Trophy

Warrington Wolves progress to the Grand Final with a 14-12 victory over the Rhinos.

Only a couple of months ago, Leeds Rhinos were by far the strongest team in the Super League. However, they were unable to retain top spot to the very end of the regular season, and Warrington Wolves have now stopped them even reaching the Grand Final. There is no doubt that injuries played their part and Friday’s defeat marked the end of a losing streak, but this won’t console fans when they consider the dominant heights reached by their team in 2026.

Going into the game at Castleford on the 19th July, the Rhinos had won 15 out of 18 Super League games, playing an incredibly successful brand of attacking rugby. They were unstoppable as they ran brilliant lines, passed the ball around at pace, and took nearly every opportunity in front of the try line. This unstable force for the majority of the season was evidenced in the huge points difference of over 350, which they had amassed after round 18 of the Super League. 

The injury list for the Rhinos has been a notable talking point, and against Warrington they were without Maika Sivo, Ash Handley, Danny Levi and Lachie Miller, all incredibly important players. In comparison with the ever-strong Wigan Warriors, it would appear that the overall squad needs greater strength and depth. There is probably some truth to this, but nonetheless Leeds’ play-maker Jake Connor went through the whole season pretty much unscathed, and going into the play-offs there remained plenty of other experience across the pitch. In the centres,  there remained the likes of Mikolaj Oledzki and Cameron Smith; and further out, there were still names including Harry Newman and Ryan Hall.

It was arguably altered attitudes within the squad, as they were losing players around them, which was the main problem in conclusion of the season, not so much the loss of physical attributes with certain players missing. The clearest example of this came in the game against Castleford in round 19, following Danny Levi’s serious head and neck injury late in the first half. Prior to this incident, which required a 10-minute break in play, Leeds Rhinos had established a comfortable 16-point lead. And, whilst they were playing away from home, this dominance was consistent with league form. Nonetheless, in the second half, Castleford then went on to make a mighty comeback, winning the match by 36-34. 

Despite the violent nature of every rugby league hit, a terrible injury to a teammate is always going to be unsettling and distracting. Moreover, just the tiniest loss of focus can give the opposition a chance to take crucial points, as Castleford did in round 19. Additional injuries working up to the semi-final on Friday, while they may not have been life-threatening, also likely had an unsettling effect on the squad. The sinking ship feeling which came with the growing injury list was indeed echoed with worsening results. Including the Castleford loss, the Rhinos lost their last 4 of 9 matches in the regular season, a win ratio of 44% in a league season averaging 74%. 

Lots could be said about the semi-final against Warrington, including the crucial involvements of George Williams or Leeds players dropping the ball in the middle of the pitch. Warrington have to be praised for finding a way to finish off an incredibly tight game, but from a Leeds perspective if it wasn’t for the uncertainty with their pre-match injury list, and the early Friday scare for Chris Hankinson, they may never have been involved in such a tight affair.