St Helens v Leeds Rhinos: Saints prop Amor anticipating '˜cracking start' to this year's comp'

“Traditionally form goes out of the window in these games,” Amor said of the season’s curtain-raiser. “They are big games with a lot of history and it doesn’t matter whether it’s at Headingley or they come to our place, it is going to be a good game and both sides are going to be desperate to get off to a winning start.

“It’s important for us in front of our own fans and for Leeds. After the season they had last year, they won’t want to replicate that. I think a good start is crucial for everybody, not just ourselves.”

Saints have suffered an early blow with the loss of scrum-half Matty Smith, who was signed from champions Wigan Warriors.

He suffered a broken leg in a pre-season game against Widnes Vikings and Amor admitted his absence is a “massive” setback. He said: “We’ve been running with Matty over the last six or seven weeks of pre-season and he’s a big loss. We will miss him, but it is what it is – that’s the nature of the game we play.

“We have got a good, strong squad this year with plenty of depth and we’ve recruited well and got a lot of young kids coming through from the under-19s’ Grand Final-winning side.

“They know what’s required to be a Saints player and they are game ready, so whoever jumps in and fills Matty Smith’s role I am sure will be ready to do a good job.”