Why the game needs Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves to shape up – Peter Smith

It’s called ‘Rhino or Wolf?’ and what you do is, log on to the social media accounts of Leeds Rhinos and Warrington Wolves, choose a fan’s comment and then challenge a friend or family member to guess which of the two clubs’ feed it comes from.

For example: ‘Don’t deserve to wear the shirt most of that lot. Worst [?] team I’ve ever seen.’ Is that from Leeds’ Twitter, or Warrington’s?

Or: ‘Think all fans should get a refund who went, glad I did not go.’

Or: ‘Shocking rugby again. No passion from anyone on the field. On paper a great squad...On grass just awful at best!!!! We all keep saying big changes needed and it starts with attitude.’

Or: ‘Another ***** performance. No belief or idea what to do. Lack of discipline and full of unforced errors yet again. Too small and get bullied. Play-the-ball too slow, we just go sideways, no fight or desire in that side. [Half-backs] look lost.’

The first two were replies to Rhinos’ Twitter account following last Saturday’s Betfred Challenge Cup defeat by Castleford Tigers.

The others were messages to Warrington’s feed after they lost to Wakefield Trinity in the same competition a day later.

But both are interchangable.

It is one of the peculiarities of Betfred Super League that what’s happening at the bottom of the table often attracts far more attention than goings on at the top.

St Helens’ remarkable consistency over the past fours years, Catalans Dragons’ resurgence under coach Steve McNamnara and the improvement shown by Wigan Warriors since Matt Peat took over as team boss in the off-season should be grabbing the headlines.

There’s good things also happening in Hull, Huddersfield Giants and Wakefield, but the story of the season so far is ‘what on earth is occuring at Leeds and Warrington?’

Rhinos are in more serious trouble. A heavy defeat to Saints tomorrow coupled with a tight game between the two teams below them on the ladder, Castleford and Toulouse Olympique, could see Leeds go bottom with a quarter of the campaign completed. And with their coach already having gone, changing things will be far from easy.

Warrington are still in the top-six, but have lost their last four matches, including back-to-back home defeats, in league and Challenge Cup, by Wakefield Trinity.

Wakefield were on an eight-game losing run away to Warrington before that. The difference in resources between the two clubs is enormous, so what an achievement by Trinity coach Willie Poching, who has been in the job less than a year.

Wakefield are on a three-game winning run and will fancy their chances of extending that at home to Salford Red Devils on Sunday and it’s a shame the good work being done by Poching is overshadowed by Daryl Powell’s tough start as Warrington boss.

Similarly, Tigers did not get the credit they deserved for their seven-try rout of Rhinos, Castleford have also lost five of their first six league games, but there have been signs in the last couple of weeks of them playing the sort of attacking rugby which could force them into the top-six mix.

Rhinos have yet to play a non-televised game this season, but it’s unlikely the broadcasters will be regretting their choices. An accident on the motorway causes delays in both directions as passing drivers slow down to look.

The developing crisis at Leeds and Warrington is a big story because it’s so unexpected – and enjoyable for fans of their rivals.

It’s not great for Super League though, as last week’s attendances at Headingley and HJ Stadium illustrated. Cup ties, sadly, aren’t well supported, but gates of 5,112 at Leeds and 2,627 in Warrington should have both clubs – and the games as a whole – very worried.

However well some clubs do, they aren’t going to average five-figure crowds.

Two clubs who can are under-performing, so they need to sort themselves out for the game’s sake.

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