St Helens v Leeds Rhinos face off in the Challenge Cup on Friday night for the second successive year in the fourth round again.
Both sides head into the match off the back of a loss where they were definitely the second-best team. Saints were defeated 20-10 against Hull KR on Friday night and it was their first real test of 2025, following victories over Salford Red Devils, Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity.
However, compared to every other Super League team, they’ve managed to go relatively unscathed in the injury department so far.
As for Leeds, they’ve already had some long-term injury problems, with Maika Sivo out for the season and Cam Smith ruled out for a couple of months also. The Rhinos also faced Wakefield, Salford and Castleford in their first three games, losing only to Salford. Last week, they were embarrassed on their trip to the south of France, with Catalans Dragons beating them 11-0.
Here’s a round-up of the team news for St Helens v Leeds Rhinos.
St Helens v Leeds Rhinos team news
St Helens team news
Saints prop Matty Lees missed last week so is in contention to return against Leeds. He picked up a couple of knocks against Wakefield so head coach Paul Wellens didn’t want to risk him against Hull KR.
New recruit Kyle Feldt also picked up a bang towards the end of the Rovers game but has also trained fine throughout the week.
Konrad Hurrell has strained his hamstring whilst on dual registration with Halifax Panthers so will miss the next four to six weeks. Hurrell is the only long-term injury as Wellens has a full-strength squad to choose from.
Saints boss Wellens has yet to add Moses Mbye into his matchday squad this season so he could potentially make it if needed.
Leeds Rhinos team news
Leeds seem to be losing players as quickly as they get another one back from injury. Halfback Matt Frawley only returned to the squad last week but he will miss the Challenge Cup tie after a failed HIA test against Catalans.
Ryan Hall also picked up a rib injury prior to the Catalans game and didn’t travel over with the squad. However, it looks to be a minor knock so he could come back into the fold.
Fullback Lachie Miller could also be set for his first game of the season after recovering from both a hamstring injury and then a calf muscle issue. If Miller does return, utility back Jake Connor could move from the fullback role into the halves to pair with Brodie Croft.
Leeds remain without Maika Sivo and Cam Smith as well as four youngsters Ben Littlewood, Max Simpson and brothers Ned and Fergus McCormack. Tom Holroyd misses the second game of his two-game suspension.
St Helens v Leeds Rhinos in the Challenge Cup will be shown on the Sportsman’s YouTube channel on Friday night with an 8:00pm kick-off time.
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