Over the years, Leeds’ Boxing Day battle with Wakefield has become something of a festive tradition for supporters.
With the exception of last year, the two West Yorkshire rivals have done battle a day after Christmas for years as both sides prepare for what they hope will be a big season ahead.
Whether it was the first step towards the treble for Leeds back in December 2014 when Ash Handley’s four tries lit up Headingley ahead of a season where he would play a key role despite his young age, or Wakefield preparing for some of the best seasons in their history in 2016, 2017 and 2018 with battling Christmas performances, the fixture is often entertaining and key to both sides as they prepare for the new campaign.
Look at Leeds’ 2020 season in which they finally turned from a side battling against relegation to a play-off side again, that transformation can be traced back to their 30-4 Boxing Day win over Trinity.
An enjoyable Christmas fixture for all the family to enjoy, Leeds have had to limit the crowd size for this year’s triumphant return of the fixture meaning some supporters could stand to miss out.
The decision was made to limit the capacity to just 9,999 to avoid having to force supporters to bring Covid passports or proof of a negative test. However, by limiting a 22,000 capacity ground to just 9,999 some unfortunate fans could be left out. So, the club has teamed up with OurLeague to broadcast the game online so fans unable to attend can enjoy festive rugby league fun.
Fans will be familiar with OurLeague after it played a key role in enabling fans to watch games throughout the pandemic even when fixtures were played behind closed doors and not broadcast on Sky. Leeds’ only pre-season friendly ahead of 2021 was shown on the platform as they only lost 22-16 to Huddersfield despite an injury hit squad. With Leeds set to field an almost full strength side on Boxing Day, the game could make for better viewing for Leeds fans who pay the £4.99 to watch.
The Rhinos will only be without Liam Sutcliffe and Jack Walker through injury whilst Richard Agar has also confirmed skipper Matt Prior will not feature.
The game kicks off at 11:30.
