Rhinos ready to go on a charge

Betfred Super League
Sky Sports 1, 8pm

So far it has been anything but a fairytale return to Super League for Leigh after their 12-year absence from the big time.

The Centurions were thrashed 44-16 at Castleford in their comeback match a week ago and are 11-4 to bounce back against Leeds on home soil.

Leigh competed well for a scoreless first 20 minutes and scored two consolation tries in the final five, but in between they were torn apart by the Tigers, who scored five tries without reply in a 23-minute spell.

Coach Neil Jukes is able to recall captain Micky Higham and centre Willie Tonga but that is countered by the loss of key forward Glenn Stewart and stand-off Martyn Ridyard.

Leeds welcome back skipper Danny McGuire after he missed the 6-4 defeat at St Helens.

It was a match that the Rhinos could have, and maybe would have, won had it not been for Tommy Makinson’s brilliant try-saving tackle and the decision to run several kickable penalties.

Leeds’s opening-night tryscorer Joel Moon may miss out due to concussion but the 2-5 Rhinos still possess enough creativity and quality to post plenty of points as they did when the sides met in the Qualifiers last September.

Brian McDermott’s boys coasted to a 37-12 victory at Headingley that night and they are tasked with conceding an eight-point start on the handicap at the Leigh Sports Village.

That appears manageable but for a bigger return it may be worth backing Leeds to triumph by more than two converted tries.

With tries almost always on the agenda when Leigh are in action, it’s well worth a look at the tryscorer markets with the Rhinos’ wingers the players to concentrate on.

Leigh conceded three tries to Castleford’s flank duo Greg Eden and Greg Mininkin last weekend and shipped six touchdowns to opposition wingers in their four matches against Super League opponents in the 2016 Qualifiers.

One of those was to Leeds’s Tom Briscoe and he appeals at evens to repeat the trick.

Recommendations
Leeds to win by 13 or more points
1pt 11-8 Betway
T Briscoe to score a try
2pts Evs Ladbrokes