Wigan Warriors v Leeds Rhinos: We'll battle to the end for a Super League top-six spot says Richard Agar

Rhinos are seventh in Betfred Super League, but will climb to fifth if they win at Wigan Warriors on Wednesday.

This year’s table will be decided on win percentage, to allow for teams potentially not fulfilling all 25 fixtures because of Covid.

Leeds have one postponed game, at home to St Helens, yet to be fitted into the calendar.

In their remaining scheduled matches, they are due to visit Wigan, Wakefield Trinity and Saints, meet Hull at Magic Weekend and have a home fixture against Hull KR.

Agar insisted Rhinos are taking things one game at a time, but predicted a win percentage of between 55 and 60 would seal a top-six finish.

That equates to 13 or 14 wins from 24 games.

Leeds have won 10 out 19 so far, a success rate of 52.63 per cent.

“We are trying to get in the six and give ourselves a shot,” Agar said.

“In four or five weeks’ time, we don’t know what the picture will look like.

“You have just got to try and hang in and get in there.

“We will battle hard and battle to the death to try and make the play-offs.”

Of Rhinos’ future opponents, only Wakefield are below them in the table.

Climbing at least one place will be a tall order, particularly with a host of key players ruled out, but Rhinos’ fate is in their own hands.

“Regardless of how other results go, we can take care of it ourselves,” Agar stressed.

“That’s going to be a challenge.

“It means us having really good form and results going into the end of the year, but given the start we had, that’s the way it has got to be for us.”

Rhinos won only two of their opening six league games - both victories coming against Wakefield - but Agar insisted the squad have always believed they can finish in the top-six.

Injuries and two coronavirus outbreaks, one in pre-season and another midway through the campaign, have had a major bearing on Rhinos’ results, but wins at Warrington and Hull showed what Leeds are capable of when they get their game together.

“We have had a really difficult year, right from pre-season,” Agar reflected.

“It has been much publicised, but our ability to field the same spine has been difficult.

“We’ve copped for some suspensions - some justified, some arguable at times - and we’ve had injuries to key players.

“It has been a very disrupted, fragmented season.

“We have lost some close games and some of it rests on us too, but our guys know they have some massively important games coming up.

“For all the adversity, internally we have never lost our spirit.

“There have been times in the season when fatigue has played a part - five games in 15 days or four in 14 has taken its toll on us too - but we are still in there.

“There’s a lot to play for. They [the players] are excited and spirit and emotion is still very much a strong part of this squad.

“We know we have some really tough games coming up, but they excite us.”

Wigan are on the back of successive losses to Hull KR and St Helens and have also been hit this year by a spate of injuries and suspensions.

Rhinos have not beaten them in the league since 2017 and their most recent win at DW Stadium was in 2013.

Agar admitted this week's task is “challenging” and said: “It always is.

“You can say most years teams who finish above Wigan are generally doing all right.

“They have had some disruption too, but they are hanging in there. I think in the context of where it can take both teams, it is a really big game.

“Defensively, they really aim up. They work hard for each other and they are hard to break down.

“We know there’s enough quality in their team, despite them missing the likes of Thomas Leuluai and Bevan French.

“Their points scoring record probably isn’t where they’d like it, but they are still winning enough games to keep them fourth and the fact they are so hard to break down means you know you are going to have a contest.”

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