Leeds Rhinos Women aiming to prove point against St Helens

Rhinos were beaten by Saints in the 2021 Grand Final and last month’s Challenge Cup showpiece, but both teams are coming off a loss to early-season pacesetters York City Knights. And Rhinos’ England number nine Keara Bennett said: “The intention is to perform well and regroup after the York game.

“Obviously, we are definitely looking towards beating them and I think they are beatable if we all stick together and buy into that one goal.”

Bennett insisted Rhinos have learned lessons from their setback at York, which followed a Covid outbreak in the camp.

“It was a tough one to take,” she admitted. “There were many factors that contributed to the loss but, ultimately, it comes down to 13 players on the pitch.

“We didn’t get the job done, but we’ve been working hard and looking at what we can fix up to get us as ready as we can be for the next part of the season.”

Bennett made her Test debut in last Saturday’s win over France at Warrington and will be up against some of her team-mates from that match late this afternoon. She revealed: “We were talking about that at the weekend.

“We are all in the same boat - when we are with England we are all a team, but when we’re at our clubs our loyalty is to our clubs.”

Today’s game is a curtain-raiser to the men’s Super League clash between the same clubs and will be televised live on Sky Sports, five days after the Test received similar exposure. And Bennett enthused: “It being a double-header is a great opportunity.

“Hopefully, fans will catch the end of our game or get in early to watch it.

“The coverage on Sky is going to increase awareness and show the younger generation what we’ve got to offer, especially after the international games.

“To have more broadcast is a great opportunity for the game.”