The final round of regular season Super League matches begin in Hull on Thursday night when Hull KR take on Leeds Rhinos in a match which both sides will be looking for a mental edge for what is to come.
Both sides know they will be in the qualifiers for the second stage of the season but this isn’t necessarily a free week for them as the winners here will get an extra home match in that section which could be quite significant.
Hull KR
Hull KR’s recent little revival came to an end at the hands of their rivals Hull FC last week in a derby where they were well beaten. Putting it simply in that match they didn’t look strong enough for the 80 minutes and that has to be a concern. They will need plenty of muscle for the entire match here if they are to get anything out of the match.
Hull KR have had no problem scoring points in recent weeks but the ability they have to be opened up is very worrying and you suspect they will need to take a few risks here as the only way they are going to win is in a shootout.
Leeds Rhinos
After a season of hurt the Rhinos have got themselves together in recent times and go into this match off the back of four wins in their last five matches. They have worked out a defensive plan and their attack has a lot more structure to it and we’re seeing more of the Rhinos we are used to as a result.
Injuries played a large part in the bad form of the Leeds outfit at the beginning of the season but players coming back and their training ground being fit for use again added to the signing of James Segeyaro have really kick started their campaign. While you can never predict anything safely in sport you would think they will be fine and cruise through the qualifiers to retain Super League status.
Team News
Hull KR welcome Josh Mantellato back for this match which is a boost to their attacking powers but Chris Clarkson, Graeme Horne, Iain Thornley and Mitch Allgood are all missing here. James Donaldson needs to pass a concussion to be able to play but John Boudebza and Kevin Larroyer are back in the squad.
Leeds have named Danny Maguire in their squad for this match but there isn’t a bundle of optimism that he’ll be ready to play. Mitch Garbutt has recovered from a back injury though and he will play which boosts the Rhinos’ mite up the middle.
Betting
We saw these two sides on our screens last week so we are able to make a pretty decent analysis of them both heading into this one and reflecting on last week I think we have to take the Leeds Rhinos to cover a converted try here.
If they had no motivation in this match then I might have thought differently but they do have plenty of it. Not only does a win give them the extra home game which is important but after a wretched season to date they have plenty of catching up and making up to do to those who support them.
Hull KR put in a lot of effort in the derby last week as you would expect but it was all in vein and I wonder if there are any lasting effects for them here. Even if there isn’t when Leeds have been playing well and at their best they have an excellent record against Hull KR and we can ignore their meeting at the beginning of the season because Leeds were in a right slump.
That isn’t the case here though so I fully expect the visitors to roll up and win this by much more than the six points they are giving up on the handicap.
Tips
Back Leeds (-6) to beat Hull KR for a 5/10 stake at 1.91 with Bwin
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