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Leeds Rhinos need to step up a gear ahead of big two - Webb
Brent Webb in match action against Hull KR.
Full-back Brent Webb reckons Leeds Rhinos will need to go up a gear for two massive tests over the next nine days.
Rhinos began their Stobart Super League title defence with a 34-16 win over Hull KR last Friday.
They visit Wigan Warriors – the last team to beat them in a competitive game – in two days’ time, before the Heinz Big Soup World Club Challenge showdown against Manly Sea Eagles a week tomorrow.
The world title match offers Rhinos chance to collect some silverware just three weeks into the season and Webb said: “It is a big test, one you want to play in and put yourself up against.
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“I don’t think you’d be playing if you didn’t want to experience things like that. We’ve set a decent platform to lead into Wigan this week and then hopefully we can set another standard in that one leading into the Manly game, but at the moment we are focusing on Wigan.”
Webb, pictured above, felt Rhinos did a solid job against Hull KR, despite training with a quarter of the game remaining.
He added: “We achieved what we set out to with the win and hopefully it’ll grow from there.
“We’ve made a good start, but we’ll have to be better against Wigan this week and probably even better against Manly, so we have got a lot of work to do.”
Taking on the Challenge Cup holders and Australian champions in successive weeks will push Rhinos to the limit, but Webb feels such a tough start to the campaign is a good thing.
“With the international boys only being back a few weeks we haven’t had that much time together,” he said. “It’s nice to get some good hit-outs early on.”
Webb is now in his sixth season at Leeds and he insisted – at 31 – he remains as hungry for success as ever.
“It was nice to have a good break back home, but it was nice to get back here and get stuck into it.” he said. “It’s the same old, same old for me and hopefully I’ll get better week on week.”
Webb is out of contract at the end of the year, but revealed he has yet to make a decision on his long-term future.
Asked if this will be his final year at Leeds, he said: “I hope not. I signed a year extension last year, so this is the final year on contract at the moment.
“But that’s not saying I am going anywhere. I am enjoying it here and I don’t think anyone wouldn’t.
“It’s a great club and a great bunch of lads and it has been a privilege to be here for the last five years.”
Meanwhile, Wigan coach Shaun Wane expects forward Liam Farrell to learn from his brush with authority this week.
The 21-year-old back-rower must sit out this weekend’s clash with Leeds after accepting a one-match ban for a dangerous tackle.
Wane said: “I think it is more clumsy than anything else, there is definitely no malice there. He is not that sort of player.
“From how we practise our contact, Liam went out of the system a bit there but that is just not him.
“I have no stress about it, it is a complete one-off. It has never happened before and it probably won’t again.
Wane also confirmed that he will be without the services of George Carmont for the next month after the centre suffered a broken thumb against Huddersfield Giants at the weekend.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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