A-Z of Leeds Rhinos - B is for...Brrrr.

March was given over to the Challenge Cup - both legs of Leeds’ first round tie with Barrow were staged at Headingley because Craven Park was still unplayable - and league action did not restart until April.

There was another big freeze in the winter of 1962-63. No rugby was played at Headingley between December 1 and April 3 and Leeds crammed 17 games into the final two months of their season.

That convinced the club to install an undersoil heating system which included 38 miles of cable six inches below the surface.

The ‘electric blanket’ ensured Leeds were able to play all their home games as scheduled during the harsh winter of 1978-79.

That paid off when well-rested Leeds won the Premiership play-offs, having avoided an end of season fixture pile-up.

The undersoil heating was switched off permanently in 2002 and a new system laid 10 years later.

In 2006 a home derby against Castleford was put back two days due to a frozen section of the pitch in front of the South Stand.

Six years earlier, Leeds kicked off the season with a January fixture against Crusaders on a snow-covered pitch in Wrexham, Brett Delaney scoring a try on his debut.

‘B’ is also for...Big spenders.

Leeds paid rugby league’s first four-figure transfer fee when they signed Harold Buck from Hunslet for £1,000 in 1921.

They splashed out a new record sum on Stan Smith from Wakefield (£1,075) in 1929 and paid Huddersfield £1,200 for Stan Brogden in 1932.

Lee Crooks (£150,000) and Garry Schofield (£155,000) were both record signings from Hull in 1987 and four years later Leeds paid Wigan £250,000 for Ellery Hanley.

In 1997 Iestyn Harris arrived at Leeds from Warrington in a £350,000 deal, which saw Danny Sculthorpe move the other way.

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