Friday's Super League predictions and rugby league tips: Rhinos face tough night

Free rugby league tips, predictions, best bets and analysis for Friday's Betfred Super League extravaganza of matches.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Arena, 8pm Friday

Best bets

St Helens -14
2pts Evs Betfred

Catalans -8
1pt 21-20 Betfred

Toulouse +20
2pts 10-11 bet365, BoyleSports

Match previews

Leeds Rhinos started the new campaign as 9-1 fancies to finish top of the Betfred Super League at the end of the regular season but a miserable opening period has seen them pushed out to 100-1 to lift the League Leaders Shield and head coach Richard Agar pushed out of the Headingley exit door.

Agar waved farewell last week after the Rhinos won just one of their opening six league matches but things haven't improved with Leeds dumped out of the Betfred Challenge Cup by Castleford quickly after his departure.

Now they must lift themselves for a Sky TV showdown with St Helens who are still smarting after their shock defeat to bottom-of-the-table Toulouse in their last league outing.

Saints were 32-point favourites on the handicap for that match but returned home from France having suffered a 22-20 loss.

They bounced back with a comfortable 46-4 win over Whitehaven in the Challenge Cup but the champions will be determined to get their league campaign back on track.

And Leeds will provide welcome opposition for the Saints who have won their last five meetings with the Rhinos by an aggregate 190-40.

The Red Vee have won their last nine against the Loiners and are just 1-6 to continue that sequence.

Leeds are 9-2 shots to emulate Toulouse but it looks highly unlikely.

Saints have dominated this fixture even when Leeds were in much better shape so backing the visitors to cover a 14-point handicap looks a decent bet, while in-form Catalans can also do the business by covering an eight-point line against Huddersfield.

The Dragons have won six games on the bounce and have hit top gear after an opening-night defeat to St Helens.

The Giants got off to a flying start, winning four of their opening six matches but those victories all came against sides in the lower reaches of the division and their two fixtures against sides in the top five finished in defeat.

Huddersfield have won only two of their last seven on home soil against Catalans, who have conceded just 82 points this season at an average of less than 14 per game.

The French raiders should cut the Giants down to size and their French counterparts Toulouse can remain competitive at Castleford.

Olympique are buzzing after that Saints victory and have been handicap winners in the last four outings against St Helens, Wigan, Wakefield and Warrington.

They get a 20-point start against the Tigers who have won just one of their opening six matches and look no value at 1-8 for victory despite beating Leeds in the cup last Saturday.

Warrington are in freefall having lost their last four matches in all competitions and their trip to inconsistent Hull KR looks best left alone from a punting perspective.

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