Leeds Rhinos director of rugby Kevin Sinfield pays tribute to players ahead of restart

Revised fixtures for the competition were revealed yesterday, with Leeds’ Emerald Headingley set to host the first nine games following the coronavirus shutdown.

Rhinos’ opening clash with Huddersfield Giants on Sunday, August 2, had already been confirmed, but Leeds now know they will play host to St Helens a week later before visiting Saints’ Totally Wicked Stadium for an ‘away’ game against Wigan Warriors on Saturday, August 15.

Rhinos’ fourth game back is a home meeting with Salford Red Devils at 1pm on Saturday, August 29, though the venue is listed as ‘to be confirmed’.

Stadiums, times and the exact date of fixtures from September onwards have not been announced, but Leeds have Wednesday evening games listed at home to Catalans Dragons on September 30 and away to Warrington Wolves two weeks later.

Their away game against Catalans is due to be played on Monday, September 7, at a venue yet to be named.

Rhinos resumed training on Monday after players and the club reached an agreement over pay cuts resulting from financial problems caused by Covid-19.

With virtually no income since the home win over Toronto Wolfpack on March 5, Rhinos are expecting to lose around £4m before the end of next season. Director of rugby Kevin Sinfield admitted it has been a difficult time, but insisted the players have been “outstanding throughout this period”.

Sinfield said: “I think everyone connected with the club has handled this really well.

“We have got a lot of fans and sponsors and partners of the club who have been outstanding in the support they’ve given.

“The staff have been great and the players have been fantastic.”

Writing in his Yorkshire Evening Post column last week, Luke Gale – who has been Rhinos’ captain since Stevie Ward was injured in February – stressed the squad understands the situation and are backing the club. He said: “All the boys are onside.

“We have had a pay cut, but we’ve kind of met in the middle. All the players are happy and we are focusing on one thing now, which is beating Huddersfield in the first game back.”

The England scrum-half added: “At Leeds everyone is pulling in the same direction.

“We are all rugby players, we love what we do and I am glad we are sorted.

“Nobody wants to go into training or matches with something like a pay dispute hanging over them and I have to tip my hat to the club for the way they have behaved.”

Sinfield accepted: “Nobody wants to lose any money or have their salary cut, whatever walk of life you’re in.

“It has certainly been challenging for everybody, but they are a great group of lads and a very honest group.

“Our culture is certainly strong enough, in the short space of time we have been putting it back together, to handle something like this.

“They have been outstanding.”

Honesty has been the best policy, according to the former Rhinos captain.

“It’s pretty obvious there’s been some issues around the sport, which nobody wants to see,” Sinfield added.

“But I have certainly been as honest as I can be. I think you have got to be honest with people and, sometimes, it means having conversations that are really difficult.

“But people are far better off knowing the truth.

“There’s a real respect there between everybody at the club.

“The players have been outstanding and shown a real appreciation of the club’s finances.

“When you are trying to balance that with their own individual circumstances, which are all very different, it affects people in different ways.

“We have tried to work through some of those and they have been brilliant.”

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