Coach Rohan Smith reveals Leeds Rhinos' priority for Super League/Challenge Cup double-header v St Helens

Rhinos face Saints at AMT Headingley on successive Fridays, with this week’s Betfred Super League clash being the curtain-raiser for a Challenge Cup sixth round tie seven days later. The situation is similar to 2023, when Rhinos won at Wigan Warriors in Super League and lost to them the following week in a home Challenge Cup sixth round tie.

Smith described being in a similar position a year later as “bizarre”, but stressed the Cup tie can wait and will have no bearing this week. “The Cup will be our priority next week,” Smith stressed. “This week [Super League] round five is our priority.”

Saints are on the back of a home loss to Salford Red Devils a week ago and, like Rhinos, have won three of their opening four Super League games. Smith reckons their style of play this year has changed, but the threat remains.

“You know what you are getting with St Helens,” he warned. “They are a great competitive team, they are extremely hard to break down. I think their attack has evolved a little bit, the way they’ve structured their team is a little different with [Lewis] Dodd playing across the middle of the field a bit more often and [Jack] Welsby and [Jonny] Lomax playing on either side.

“But they are great, smart players as well so they aren’t limited in their role. There’s probably more passing from their middle-unit players, playing before the line, so there’s a few intricacies there that are perhaps a bit different, but the Saints DNA of competing hard and scrambling and being in it to win it is certainly very evident.”

Rhinos – who will be forced into at least one change with centre Paul Momirovski ruled out through injury – haven’t beaten Saints at Headingley since 2017 and victory would be a statement of intent as they battle to get back into Super League title contention after last year’s eighth-place finish. Smith, though, insisted the two points are the same as any other round.

“A win against a big team is always a scalp, but at this time of the year everyone’s scrambling to try and find their identity and get match fit and to try and get a bit of consistency,” he said. “We know it’s going to be a huge battle and it’s one we look forward to.”