Leeds Rhinos fans excited by win v York Knights, hail Maika Sivo, can't wait' for Hull KR Las Vegas clash

Boosted by the return over a host of key players, including winger Maika Sivo who scored two tries on his debut after a year out of action, Rhinos were too strong for promoted York Knights and eased to a comprehensive 46-14 win to get them off the mark in Betfred Super League. Thoughts now turn to Las Vegas and how Leeds will fare against the new World Club champions.

BECKY OXLEY

Settling into my new position in the South Stand, right at the halfway line, for the season's first home match, I felt a rush of goosebumps and the adrenaline surged. There’s truly nothing like the atmosphere at Headingley when the stadium buzzes with energy, the lights shine bright and the crowd is alive.

The Rhinos delivered an outstanding performance and I could genuinely see the progress compared to last week. The return of five players from injury certainly made a difference. I was particularly eager to see Maika Sivo make his debut and he did not disappoint. The entire Southstand erupted with cheers of ‘Sivo’, creating an electric atmosphere and I’m excited to see what more he brings as the season unfolds.

Our attacking play was thrilling and we demonstrated excellent ball movement. We were much more grounded and having Jake Connor back contributed significantly to this improvement. Next on the agenda is Las Vegas and I anticipate it will be an exciting match. Unfortunately, I won’t be attending, but I’ll ensure I’m in front of the TV at midnight on Saturday, no matter what. Coming out of the York match without any injuries is a positive start and I hope this allows us to return with the two points in what promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

IAIN SHARP

Like an old cardigan or a pair of comfortable shoes, there’s something reassuring about a return to Headingley after the off-season. I wouldn’t say I am old, but I was at York’s last league appearance there in 1985 - which we lost - and the Cup meeting 31 years ago, notable for a pre-match appearance by Bob Holness, the genial Blockbusters quiz show host, once again proving that leather soled shoes and wet turf don’t mix.

After their shock beating of Hull KR in the opening round there were certainly a few bottles twitching in the South Stand bar when York pulled in back to 6-6 midway through the first half, but a three-try blitz just before half time calmed nerves and effectively put the contest beyond doubt. Leeds generally looked good. The new players gelled well and in Maika Sivo there is the potential for a new South Stand favourite. The down-side of the evening was the poor quality of the big screen.

Alas, I am not going to Las Vegas next week. After my jaunt to France via another continent last year, I couldn’t find anything cheap via Lesotho or Guatemala to get me there. Safe travels to all making the journey.

DAVID MUHL

It was back to normal service on Friday at HQ. A big crowd was gathered expecting a good Leeds performance and they didn’t let them down. It was good to see a team with some players back from injury after the patched up side we put out against Leigh and, overall, it was a pleasing performance.

We scored some great tries; Ryan Hall’s first was a lovely team try and his second was a perfect individual touchdown. Our attack looked good and if that is Maika Sivo not match fit, I can’t wait to see him play when he is.

Brodie Croft had a great game, scoring a sublime try weaving around several players and the referee. He plays so much better when he has Jake Connor in the team. All our debutants had decent games, Jeremiah Mata’utia looks like a good addition to the pack and certainly used his weight and size to good effect.

York proved their win against Hull KR wasn’t down to luck. They are a good strong side who gave us some problems. The disappointing thing for me was our defence, last year this was very strong, but we let in some weak tries and made some basic errors. Hopefully these can be put right very quickly.

Players seem to be getting used to the new rule interpretations, with only three six-agains in the game and we gave away only one. It’s Hull KR next in Vegas and by the sound of it we will be taking a good support over. Personally I’ll be watching on the TV as I don’t want to be anywhere near the USA at the moment. Hopefully we’ve got a good chance; our players are coming into form and I think the World Club Challenge will have taken a lot out of Rovers.

TOM GOLDSWORTHY

Friday night saw Leeds return to winning ways with a comfortable victory against York Knights ahead of our big trip to Las Vegas. For me, the important thing was to get through the match with no injuries and suspensions ahead of our first big match of the year.

The highlight of the evening was clearly the return of Maika Sivo as he made his long-awaited debut after a long injury layoff, impressing everyone at the ground apart from my mother. He made up for lost time immediately, scoring two tries and being a constant handful for the defenders. If he can keep up this form and avoid any more injuries, we have a very dangerous player who is almost unstoppable when it comes to scoring tries.

There was definitely a step up in performance from the loss at Leigh, but I don't think we are the finished product yet. Our attack looked so much smoother and effective with Jake Connor back in the side and we looked a constant threat throughout the match.

I do think there is more to come from this team in attack, but this will come as we get further into the season and the team becomes more settled. York were certainly no pushovers and made Leeds work for the win, but you could tell there was a big gulf in quality between the two sides.

The tries we conceded were a bit soft, but I believe this is due to early season rustiness. Under previous head coaches this might have been a trickier fixture for us, but we looked comfortable throughout under Brad Arthur.

Looking ahead to our game against Hull KR in Las Vegas, we will need to be at our best to defeat the newly-crowned world champions. It is a significant opportunity for the club to play on the world stage which we need to take with both hands and show everyone how good we can really be.

KATIE MARCZYNSKI

That's more like it. We needed a strong performance and a win following the first-round disappointment at Leigh and we got both. York were by no means a shambles, but we were clinical and slick at times - a pleasant surprise given the number of personnel changes since the week before.

Defensively we looked a little rusty, conceding a couple of cheap tries, but that should improve as the weeks go on. Brodie Croft was a well-deserved man of the match, but a special mention must go to Chris Hankinson, who I thought was excellent. Jake Connor and Keenan Palasia showed us what we'd been missing and Maika Sivo is already a fans’ favourite after that performance. We should head to Las Vegas feeling quietly confident. We’ll need to tighten up our defence, and perhaps hope Hull KR have been overdoing the World Club Challenge victory celebrations, but we performed well against them last season so there’s no reason we can’t come out on top this weekend.

Saturday’s clash will be a good test and a great chance for both teams to showcase Super League. I’ll be setting my alarm and tuning in from the comfort of my sofa, hoping I don’t wish I’d stayed in bed.

ALEX SHARP

It was good to get back to winning ways, but before speaking about Leeds’ win, I’d like to congratulate our opponents this week on a fantastic victory in the World Club Challenge. Leeds had a chance at their ‘easy game’ and went through the motions. It was great to see so many players back from injury, it took 15-20 minutes to get up to speed and settle in and then we got going.

When we did, we looked rather good with tries flooding in. Brodie Croft looks to be playing some of his best rugby in a while, making it two tries in two Super League games. He can play with a lot more freedom now Jake Connor is back in the squad.

It was good seeing the long-awaited return of Maika Sivo on the wing. After he looked to come off worse from a tackle in the third minute and was limping around for the rest of the game my heart was in my mouth. The fact he still grabbed a brace of tries shows what a threat he will be if he stays fit, but I feel any top team would have exposed us down that side. Tom Davies or Joe Burgess in Vegas will be a much bigger task than veteran ex-Leeds player Ben Jones-Bishop, but overall I was happy with the performance. I’d like to wish all readers who are going to Las Vegas safe travels and enjoy yourself - bring the noise to the USA. I fly out on Wednesday and can not wait.

The Yorkshire Evening Post’s coverage of Leeds Rhinos in Las Vegas is in association with Betfred Super League. Saturday’s showdown between Rhinos and Hull KR at Allegiant Stadium is an early highlight of a packed year of club rugby league action which also includes the Challenge Cup final at Wembley on May 30, Magic Weekend’s blockbuster return to Everton FC’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on July 4-5 and the Super League Grand Final on October 3 at Old Trafford. Experience live Super League. League Hits Different. To guarantee your place, visit Super League | Tickets.