Wheelchair RL: Nathan Collins confident Leeds Rhinos can tackle new challenges

Rhinos finished top of the table last year and won the Grand Final for the first time, as well as retaining the Challenge Cup.

That historic treble will make them the team to beat again this season, in a league now including big names Warrington Wolves, Wigan Warriors and Hull FC, as well as new southern ‘super team’ London Roosters.

Other top-flight sides this year are North Wales Crusaders – who Leeds face in their opening match at Leeds Beckett University on Sunday – and 2019 champions Halifax Panthers.

Rhinos’ England star Nathan Collins reckons the standard of competition is rising year on year, but says Leeds are confident of more silverware this term.

“We have had a really good pre-season,” reported Collins, who scored a hat-trick of tries in last year’s Grand Final win over Leyland, at Medway Park in Kent. “We have kept training through; we’ve done a lot of pre-season fitness drills, which has been really good.

“We’ve just got to do pretty much what we did last year, just play heads-up rugby, look for the gaps and just be us.

“That’s how we won our games last year.”

Leeds will also be looking to make the most of home advantage.

“It’s good to be playing at Leeds Beckett because we are based there with England,” Collins added. “I think it [Super League] is more competitive every season because of new people coming into the game.

“Warrington have just come up from the Championship so they are new to it, but Wigan [then known as Leyland Warriors] came second last year so they are our biggest rivals and we’ll be wanting to beat them again. The new London team, we don’t know who’s playing for them, other than a couple we play with at England, so it will be quite a big challenge for us to see if we can beat them.”

Sunday’s game against North Wales will be played at Leeds Beckett University’s Sports Arena (3.15pm).

Spectators are welcome and will be asked to make a donation to Leeds Rhinos Foundation.

There will be seven rounds of fixtures before the competition splits with the top four teams qualifying for a Super 4 League, leading to the Grand Final in the autumn and the bottom three joining leading clubs from the Wheelchair RL Championship.

The title decider will be broadcast live on Sky Sports for the second successive year.

The new structure has been devised to maximise the intensity of matches ahead of this autumn’s World Cup, and Collins admitted the global tournament will be at the back of every player’s mind. England begin their campaign against Australia at the Copper Box, in London, on November 3.

They play Spain and Norway at the same venue, before the English Institute of Sport, in Sheffield, stages both semi-finals on November 13.

The final is five days later in Manchester.

Collins said: “We have got a lot of people coming through at the minute, pushing for spots in the World Cup squad.

“Everybody’s spot is up for grabs so we’ve got to perform well and prove to the England staff and the coaching staff we can keep our spot. If new people are good enough, then bring them in but, hopefully, I will make the team at the end of the year.”

The Betfred Wheelchair Challenge Cup will kick off with a Festival next month and the final is set for June.

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