Leeds Rhinos women can’t wait to get play-off campaign up and running

They begin their play-off campaign against Castleford Tigers at the Jungle (4.15pm) in a rematch of the 2019 Grand Final.

The game is a curtain-raiser to the men’s derby between Tigers and Wakefield Trinity, which kicks off at 7pm and one ticket is valid for both matches.

The Covid-hit regular season was cut short last month and the top-five – Rhinos, St Helens, Wigan Warriors, York City Knights and Tigers – will now compete for places in the semi-finals on the weekend of September 25/26 and title decider at Emerald Headingley on October 10.

The bottom five teams, including Featherstone Rovers and Wakefield, have gone into a Shield competition.

Rhinos won all their seven games in the regular season and outside-back Sophie Robinson feels they are going into the play-offs in good shape.

“It has been a bit stop-start this year, so we are raring to get going,” she said.

“We were meant to play Cas as our last game of the league season, but that got cut short.

“It is a big occasion, especially playing before the men’s game at the stadium.

“It should be a good game and we want to win every game going into the Grand Final.

“We’ve not played many big matches this season, as a lot have been cancelled, so we know now is the time to perform.”

Tigers have lost some key members of the team which topped the table two years ago, five players having followed coach Lindsay Anfield to York.

But Robinson stressed: “We can’t drop our standards.

“We have got to play how we know we can.

“We know it is going to be tough so we’ve got to set the standard going into the Grand Final.”

Rhinos’ only defeat this year was to eventual winners St Helens in a Challenge Cup semi-final.

“We want to carry that into the final,” Robinson added.

“If we are going to get there I think we will have to beat every team.

“We know Saints and York have got strong squads, but we just want to go out there and perform and as long as we put out the performances we know we can, we should get the wins.”