Blease pleased with off season progress for Rhinos

Leeds Rhinos Sporting Director Ian Blease says the clubs players have responded well to Brad Arthur with their commitment and attitude in pre-season ahead of the clash with newly promoted Wakefield Trinity in the traditional Wetherby Whaler Festive Challenge on Boxing Day at AMT Headingley, kick off 11.30am. 

Arthur arrived at the Rhinos for the final ten games of last season but, following a big turnover in the playing roster and the arrival of new assistant coach Jamie Langley, the Rhinos are looking to return to the top half of the table. Blease commented, “The boys are doing plenty of work and getting lots of kilometres in their legs. Every team will say that they are in good shape at this time of year but the team are looking sharp and fit so far. The club have invested a significant amount of money on a new surface at AMT Headingley and that has meant that the team have been able to train here on the best possible surface a number of times a week, and that is important for them to feel like this their home. 

“A lot of the ball work they are doing is under fatigue and they need to be on the money with the skill side of it because Brad will not accept anything less than that. Jamie Langley has been a great addition to the coaching staff. He has settled in really well and earned the trust and respect of the players and coaching staff. He has got a good philosophy behind his rugby and his tactics around the game, we are really pleased he's on board with us,” added Blease. 

Leeds Rhinos are yet to reveal their squad numbers for 2025 and Blease has revealed that this is a deliberate decision ahead of the first game of pre-season on Boxing Day. He added, “We are really keen on making every player want to earn the right to play for that Rhinos shirt. We will play in 1-13 on Boxing Day and those guys will get the chance to earn the squad numbers. We will publicly announce the squad numbers on New Years Day and the lads will be told in the week after Boxing Day.”

The Rhinos face Wakefield Trinity at AMT Headingley on Thursday 26th December, kick off 11.30am in the annual Wetherby Whaler Festive Challenge. You can purchase your ticket now at tickets.therhinos.co.uk