In the tie of the round, last year’s Challenge Cup finalists meet the 2020 winners in a repeat of the 2014 cup final. Oh, and to add a bit more spice, it’s a West Yorkshire derby between two teams who have struggled in the league so far this season.
Leeds’ frustrations have culminated in cup winning coach Richard Agar stepping down this week as Leeds look for a new direction to take them back to glory.
As for the Tigers, Lee Radford’s new era has only brought one win so far this season, but the last three performances have been positive. A win here would be massive for their season.
Kick-off time and TV channel
This big West Yorkshire derby kicks off at 16:30.
TV coverage starts on BBC Two at 16:00.
Predicted Line-ups
Leeds Rhinos
With David Fusitu’a again unavailable, there’s the question of how will interim boss Jamie Jones-Buchanan deal with his absence. Last week Jack Broadbent moved to centre with Tom Briscoe on the wing but previously this season Liam Tindall got the nod on the flank. Perhaps both Tindall and Broadbent will feature as the club looks to freshen things up. This would be harsh on Briscoe and seems unlikely with a picture of Briscoe in training being released by the club with him seemingly plying his trade at centre. Matt Prior’s return covers for Zane Tetevano’s suspension whilst Morgan Gannon could return to the 17 after a rest last weekend.
1 Jack Walker
29 Liam Tindall
20 Tom Briscoe
4 Liam Sutcliffe
5 Ash Handley
6 Blake Austin
7 Aidan Sezer
8 Mikolaj Oledzki
9 Kruise Leeming
10 Matt Prior
11 James Bentley
12 Rhyse Martin
17 Cameron Smith
Substitutes
14 Brad Dwyer
19 Bodene Thompson
21 Morgan Gannon
25 James Donaldson
Castleford Tigers
The big news for Cas is the return of Niall Evalds. If he takes over at fullback, the balance of the side may be restored with Gareth O’Brien returning to the halves and Paul McShane moving back to hooker. This could see George Lawler move onto the bench alongside the returning Liam Watts for some major impact. Former Leeds man and cup winner with the Rhinos Alex Sutcliffe will replace the injured Cheyse Blair at second-row. The game may come too soon for Adam Milner and as Jordan Turner returns from a fractured hand, Lee Radford may put his trust in Mahe Fonua and Jake Mamo at centre.
1 Niall Evalds
2 Derrell Olpherts
4 Jake Mamo
17 Mahe Fonua
23 Greg Eden
6 Jake Trueman
31 Gareth O’Brien
15 George Griffin
9 Paul McShane
22 Daniel Smith
11 Kenny Edwards
21 Alex Sutcliffe
13 Joe Westerman
Substitutes
5 Bureta Faraimo
8 Liam Watts
10 George Lawler
25 Suaia Matagi
