Leeds Rhinos face one of their biggest rivals this week in the shape of Wigan Warriors.
Two of the biggest clubs in British rugby league if not the biggest and two of the most successful as well.
For Leeds their hopes of silverware hang on this result whilst Wigan are hoping for a win to secure top spot.
In such a big game there is a chance we see Riley Lumb on debut as Rohan Smith said:
“Yeah Riley’s a talented young kid that’s come through our group, our academy system. He’s played everywhere in the backline this season in academy, he’s a tough physical kid, done the whole pre-season with us, he’s a good player of the future, we’re a little bit light on for trips, so he gets his opportunity in the 21 which we’re excited for. We see Riley being a big part of the future of the runners.”
This came as he highlighted a double injury blow to Aidan Sezer and James Bentley:
“I think appearances in the first team should be earned firstly, so they won’t be just given it out. But as you said, we’ve got everything to play for every week regardless of the ladder.
“It’s important that we play our best every week and we’ll be sure to put the best team out that we think is ready to play that weekend.
“We are down on troops, people have moved on mid-season that we haven’t replaced and we’ve also got a few season-ending injuries, so Bentley and Sezer probably won’t play the rest of the regular season anyway, so for them to be alive, we’ll have to get to the playoffs.
“We are light on troops, so if it means that young guys are getting their chance, they’ve also earned that opportunity through hard work.
“We had a bunch of kids start the first week of November well before the first team came back for training and those guys got an extra month in and most of them haven’t missed a beat. So if they get a turn, I’m happy to reward them for that effort.”
On Sezer, he added:
“It’s a little bit the nature of it. He’s had a couple of bumps this year and given his age and his history, he had a severe one at the back end of last year as well. So the specialist has recommended a 28 day return to play process which will be close to the back end of the season.
“So it’s not ruled out but again his health and his longevity in the game is also to be considered there.”
