Leeds Rhinos: It could be May before Leeds can return to Kirkstall training base

Rhinos’ gym, meeting room and offices were wrecked following the Boxing Day flood, which also left their practice fields under water and “ruined” their 3g all-weather pitch.

A clean-up operation has begun, but Rhinos chief executive Gary Hetherington said: “The pitches are still silt-ladened and out of use.

“It will be quite a number of months before we get back to Kirkstall – it could be May. In the meantime we are using a range of different facilities across the city.

People have been really good. Virgin Active and David Lloyd have made facilities available and we have been using different grass pitches, for example at Stanningley, Leeds University and council facilities at Middleton.” Rhinos’ players had a break after Christmas and then spent a week on camp in America, so the impact of the flooding is only now being felt.

Hetherington said: “If we train at Stanningley, the ground staff have to go in and do the reinstatement and we have to train somewhere else.

“We have had to find a number of different venues to come to our rescue.

“Leeds City Council have been very good and the community has been outstanding, but it does make it a difficult time.”