Leeds Rhinos set Warrington Wolves test as huge games loom in Women's Super League & Challenge Cup

Rhinos got their Betfred Women’s Super League campaign off to a flying start with a 66-4 win against Huddersfield Giants last week, after four victories in the Challenge Cup. Those wins included a 70-10 quarter-final demolition of Warrington a fortnight ago.

Coach Lois Forsell’s side have scored 332 points and conceded 28, but the challenges are about to get much tougher. After the Super League meeting with Warrington, they visit champions York Valkyrie for a Grand Final rematch on Sunday, May 12, face Wigan Warriors in a Challenge Cup semi-final seven days later and then travel to the women’s game’s other big guns, St Helens, on Friday, May 24.

“We are happy with the way things are going, but these games we’re having at the moment pose a different challenge,” Forsell said. “Trying to keep standards high when games are one-sided is quite difficult, but I think we’ve shown promise in areas.

“When we get into big games we’ve got to make sure we do that for longer periods of time and be consistent with it. That’s our challenge, to be able to go when we need to go because we’ve had a pretty steady run so far.”

Forsell is confident Rhinos – whose development academy side were crowned college champions this week – will be prepared for the Valkyrie showdown next month. “York have had a tough game against Saints already,” she said. “We can’t help that, it’s just how the fixtures fall. We will be ready to go, because we put a lot of attention into how we train as well as how we play.”

After the result against Warrington earlier this month it would be a huge shock if Rhinos slipped up on Saturday, but Forsell insisted: “We’ve just got to turn up and do what we can do. We can’t control what’s in front of us or how they play, we can just focus on ourselves.”

Rhinos will be without loose-forward Bethan Dainton who is captaining Wales in a World Cup European qualifier against Ireland in Cardiff on Saturday. Keara Bennett is suspended and Zoe Hornby won’t play because of a minor injury concern, but Jenna Greening is set for her first appearance of the season.

England star Caitlin Beevers will make a second comeback appearance following shoulder surgery. She scored two tries last week, but didn’t feature in the second half and Forsell said: “She just tightened up in her abductor or her groin so there was no point pushing it. Her shoulder was absolutely fine.”

The game kicks off at noon. Admission is £10 (card payment only, students £5, free for under-16s) and includes the rugby union fixture between Leeds Tykes and Sheffield which follows at 3pm.

Rhinos women (v Warrington): from Enright, Robinson, Beevers, Hardcastle, Butcher, Casey, Northrop, Hoyle, Moxon, Cudjoe, Murray, Whitehead, Field, Glynn, Cousins, Greening, Watson, Macmillan, Donnelly.