Leeds Rhinos' Andy Ackers talks St Helens rematch, being 'at this great club' and Headingley's unique fans

St Helens will return to AMT Headingley for a sixth round Betfred Challenge Cup tie exactly a week after fighting back from 8-0 down to secure an 18-8 win which left them third in the league table. It ended Rhinos’ two-match winning run, but Ackers insisted Leeds took positives from their performance and are capable of making amends in two days’ time.

“We’ve had a couple of good wins, but Saints are a lot better opposition and we’ve got to give them credit for that,” Ackers - who joined Rhinos from Salford Red Devils in pre-season - said. “I think we missed the jump a bit in the second half and let them back into the game.

“James Bell was brilliant, he came on for them and completely changed the game, but there were large parts of the game where we were totally in control. We have to stay focussed and grind it out for the full 80 minutes and I think we are building towards that.”

The hooker pledged the hosts will put last week’s experience to good use on Friday, but admitted they can’t afford to make as many errors at crucial times in the contest. All three of Saints’ tries followed a Leeds mistake and Ackers vowed: “You learn every day - you never lose, you always learn.

“In any game you get errors, you wouldn’t be human if you didn’t make mistakes, but it is about learning from them and knowing where you are in the game. It is all about game-management, but we will look at that and try to get better in our execution.

“We’re still confident, there were large parts of [last week’s] game when we were really, really good. We just switched off a couple of times so we’ve got to get better at that, but the togetherness at this club and the will to win for each other is second to none and I am so grateful to be part of that.”

The Cup tie is Rhinos’ sixth competitive game in 2024 and Ackers reckons they are still developing as a team. He said: “It is a completely new spine, we’ve brought a lot of new players in and everyone has gelled pretty quickly. We’re only five rounds in, it is a long season and we’ll keep learning.

“I love it here, sometimes you have to pinch yourself because of how lucky we are to be at this great club. You walk out before the game and the crowd’s screaming and that, for me, is really special. It’s what gets professional athletes going.”

Leeds haven’t beaten Saints at Headingley in six attempts, but Ackers feels playing on their own turf could give them an advantage, if Rhinos fans turn out in numbers. More than 15,000 watched last week’s game and the hooker said: “It’s always better with the crowd behind us at Headingley. It’s electric and a massive shout out to them, I think they are absolutely brilliant for us.”