After their first win of the season against Salford last weekend, Leeds welcome Yorkshire rivals Castleford Tigers to home soil as the local rivals go head to head on Sunday, kick off 3pm.

In our new Countdown to Kick Off feature, all the key stats, facts and head to heads will be broken down so you can see how Leeds line up against their opposition each week. Here's your round three edition:

Team Stats

After contrasting starts to the Super League season, both Leeds and Castleford's game stats replicate how both sides have started the 2025 Super League campaign. A convincing attacking performance saw the Rhinos move into the top six with victory over Salford last time out, whilst the Tigers are still looking for their first win of the year.

A 26-point difference at the Salford Community Stadium moved Brad Arthur's side up the points scored table to sit behind Wigan, who put up a big points margin against Hull FC in round two, and St Helens who lead the teams early with 128 points. Besides Saints, who backed up their win over an under-strength Salford side with a nine-try performance at The Jungle, Leeds and Wigan have both scored eight tries in the first two games of the season, plus the Rhinos have made a strong start in their offload game, where they rank fourth with 17. 

After two games, Leeds' time in possession betters Castleford by 53% possession compared to 45% possession. Completion rates are a tighter metric though as both clubs have completed at 83% (which ranks fourth and fifth in the league).

Although the Tigers have struggled for points so far, their edges are recording stats that put them amongst the top players in the competition. Innes Senior has begun his second season with the club in style with 232 metres, plus Fletcher Rooney and Sam Wood have also been key with ball in hand. Defensively, Jeremiah Simbiken has led out of the traps with 79 total tackles (50 of which came in the loss to Saints last time out), whilst fellow forward Joe Westerman and George Lawler are also two of the leading players in terms of tackles per game.

Three Key Player Head to Heads

Jake Connor vs Tex Hoy

Rhinos fans have been treated to a strong start from Jake Connor since his pre-season move from Huddersfield. After a record-breaking debut against West Warriors, he had a standout game against the Red Devils in round two; assisting in two tries, as well as adding four goals for his personal points tally. His start to life as a Rhinos sees him sit as the club's joint-top ball carrier with Ryan Hall on 31 carries, and he has made 143 metres, three offloads and six tackle breaks, which all ranks amongst Leeds top performers.

Castleford's Tex Hoy is leading the Tigers from the front as he adapts to working with new spine players in the absence of Rowan Milnes. The full back, who moved to the Tigers from Hull FC midway through 2024 has assisted three tries so far this year, putting him behind Jack Welsby and George Williams in the Super League competition, plus he is also one of the leading Tigers players in offloads and tackle breaks.

Riley Lumb vs Fletcher Rooney

Coming off the back of two tries against Salford, Riley Lumb hopes to open his account at AMT Headingley in this weekend's clash with the Tigers. All four of the winger's Super League tries have come on the road in his career, but round three presents an opportunity for him to put in another top performance. A resurgent performance over Salford saw the former Lock Lane player take his season tallys to 30 carries for 224 metres, as well as eight tackle breaks.

Rooney is the latest homegrown Castleford player to get his shot in the first team and has impressed the club enough to earn himself a new five year deal, two years after making his senior debut at AMT Headingley against the Rhinos. He was a try scorer in the opening round loss to Hull KR, but his attacking numbers rank as one of the best in the Castleford squad. Only Innes Senior has made more runs and metres than the 19-year-old so far after two rounds, plus Rooney is the competition's 11th best player in tackle breaks as he's made 11 so far.

Keenan Palasia vs George Lawler

Keenan Palasia's outing against Salford was a confident one by the Samoan international as he was one of the leading players in ball carries and metres. Only James Bentley matched Palasia's total ball runs, and substitute Tom Holroyd edged the metres count by 124 to Palasia's 119. Defensively, Leeds had a different challenge to Wakefield in round one but he finished fourth in the Rhinos tackle count with 22.

A contrasting performance for George Lawler saw the prop make 34 tackles in a one-sided affair against St Helens at The Jungle last time out. Castleford's night was spent mostly in defence as Lawler made four carries for 22 metres, which is different to 17 carries for 100 metres he made against Hull KR in round one. As one of the more experienced names in the side after debuting for Hull KR a decade ago, he is in his fourth season at Castleford.

What the history says...

This week's matchup is Leeds and Castleford's 71st meeting in the Betfred Super League, after both clubs were part of the original twelve teams involved in the first Super League season in 1996.

Leeds have won 39 meetings, 22 of which have come at AMT Headingley, compared to Castleford's 28 wins. Under Daryl Powell, the Tigers held an eight-game winning streak over Leeds between 2015 and 2017, but the Rhinos broke that run with victory at Old Trafford in the Grand Final. Between the late 1990s and early 2000s, Leeds' home form saw them lose only twice to the Tigers between 1996 and 2013, during which time they accumulated 748 points and conceded only 315 points.

There have also been three draws, the most recent of those being a 24-24 draw in 2014 at AMT Headingley.  

Get your tickets now

Match tickets start at £25 for adults, £20 for concessions and £13 for juniors and are available online at tickets.therhinos.co.uk or call the ticket office on 0371 423 1315. Tickets also available to purchase from Leeds Rhinos Ticket Office at AMT Headingley Stadium but check opening times before travelling.