14 May 2024

Rhinos Reserves take on Bulls this Thursday

At the halfway point in the Reserves season, Leeds Rhinos head to Bartercard Odsal Stadium to face off against local rivals Bradford Bulls on Thursday night, kick off 7.30pm.

Both teams have had mixed campaigns in the Reserves grade so far as the Rhinos picked up their second win of the campaign last time out against London Broncos. A convincing 70-10 win over London saw the Rhinos score 13 tries, three of which came from Harry Taylor as part of a squad made up mostly of Under-18s players gave Leeds their second win of the year.

Compared to 2023, this season has been tough so far for Tony Smith's side but the club has persisted with giving its own players at all levels a chance to get extra minutes under their belts. So far, the Reserves has seen Ned McCormack, Riley Lumb and Ben Littlewood all earn spots in Rohan Smith's first team, plus it has allowed the likes of Joe Diskin, Jacob Stead and Presley Cassell, who are finding their feet in the Under-18s, to get additional minutes to continue their development.

As they go for their third win out of the opening six games on Thursday, the Rhinos then take on Castleford, Hull FC, Salford, Huddersfield, Wigan and Wakefield from June to August as they look to climb close to the top two.

Bradford's season has seen them win one out of four games, after their fixture against Hull KR was rescheduled until later in the year. It took the Bulls two rounds to open their season as a 48-0 win over London on the road came after defeats to Wigan and Hull FC.

Last time out, Glenn Morrison's side tussled with Huddersfield in a tight 8-8 score, and they return to Odsal again this week to face the Rhinos. A tough run of fixtures sees Bradford take on St Helens, Leigh and Castleford in their next three fixtures, as they look to pick up points in the second half of the season.