The West Yorkshire rivalry between Leeds Rhinos and Bradford Bulls is fully renewed for 2026 as in addition to meeting at Magic Weekend, both clubs will clash in Super League’s annual ‘Rivals Round’ during the Easter period.

Not many rivalries in Super League get bigger than Leeds vs Bradford, and meetings around Good Friday were commonplace in the Super League calendar starting back in 1998. 2026 is set to mark a new chapter in a head-to-head clash, which dates back beyond Super League to the birth of the sport in the 1800s, and is set to be more raucous than before.

Here’s more about the history around the Leeds vs Bradford derby on Good Friday:

Note: For this list, games that have been played the day before or after Good Friday have been included.

1998 - Bulls 6 Rhinos 26

Leeds' first Easter clash against Bradford during the Super League era dates back to 1998 when the Rhinos managed to beat the Bulls in a convincing 26-6 at Odsal to continue a strong start to the new campaign.

Having beaten Warrington in their season opener a week before on home soil, Graham Murray's side got their first away win of the season as Iestyn Harris's hat trick inspired a huge result against the reigning Champions. Outside back pairing Richie Blackmore and Paul Sterling also crossed the try line, whilst Matt Calland scored the Bulls' sole try of the game.

1999 - Bulls 18 Rhinos 14

Four days after Leeds knocked Bradford out of the Challenge Cup at the semi-final stage, the Bulls got their revenge over the Rhinos in the league as they took an 18-14 win away from Odsal.

Mike Forshaw joined Robbie and Henry Paul in scoring the tries for the Bulls that day, whilst Harris and Ryan Sheridan responded for the Rhinos.

2004 - Rhinos 26 Bulls 18

After a four-year break, the Leeds vs Bradford rivalry was back in 2004 as the league-leading Rhinos won 26-18 in front of a capacity crowd at AMT Headingley.

The Rhinos ended both a 23-month wait for a win against the Bulls as well as Bradford's 100% start to the year as two tries from Danny McGuire led the scoring for Tony Smith's side. Marcus Bai, Andrew Dunemann and Chris Feather added their names to the list of try scorers, whilst Shontayne Hape, Tevita Vaikona, Lesley Vainikolo touched down for the Bulls.

2005 - Bulls 12 Rhinos 42

Seven tries in 2005 helped the World Champion Rhinos continue their unbeaten start to the season as they beat Bradford on the road.

Leeds had been in red-hot form since defeating Canterbury at the start of February and held the Bulls to 12 points; Rob Burrow ran the show to inflict one of Bradford's biggest defeats in the summer era. The hooker scored twice, plus Chev Walker, Gareth Ellis, Keith Senior, Kevin Sinfield and Mark Calderwood also touched down in front of the 22,000 crowd. 

2006 - Rhinos 18 Bulls 20

Bradford stopped Leeds' run of Easter wins in 2006 as a late score from Brett Ferres snatched victory for the away side.

Rob Burrow kept the Rhinos in the contest with a try and three goals, but the Bulls had former Leeds players Iestyn Harris and Marcus Bai to thank as their tries helped Brian Noble's side lead 16-12 after 60 minutes. Richie Mathers and Gareth Ellis added scores before a Burrow penalty goal gave Leeds their first lead of the game, but Ferres' try gave Bradford a vital win.

2007 - Bulls 14 Rhinos 18

Leeds were back on winning terms in 2007 but they were made to work for the two league points by a stern Bulls test.

Scott Donald's brace saw the winger take a pass from McGuire to score the game-breaking try with two minutes remaining, after Gareth Ellis helped the Rhinos turn a 10-6 half time deficit around.

2008 - Rhinos 44 Bulls 2

Three years after walking 40 points passed the Bulls on Good Friday, Leeds produced a similar performance in 2008 as an impressive 44-2 win saw the Champions flex their muscles on home soil.

Brent Webb was the man of the match as the New Zealand full back touched down three times to torment Bradford, whilst Scott Donald, Lee Smith, Rob Burrow and Jamie Jones-Buchanan continued the offensive effort with tries across the 80 minutes. More impressively, the Rhinos kept the Bulls to 2 points in a great show of defensive resolve.

2009 - Bulls 10 Rhinos 6

Controversy dominated the final stages of the 2009 derby as video referee Thierry Alibert ruled out a match-levelling try from Danny McGuire to deny Leeds a win over Bradford in 2009.

Coming into the game off the back of a loss to St Helens in the Challenge Cup, the Rhinos entered a scrappy affair against the Bulls but were able to get the early breakthrough as Jamie Jones-Buchanan found the try line. Michael Worrincy responded for the Bulls in the first half before Rikki Sheriffe scored the game winning try with 11 minutes to go, but the Rhinos took the game to the final whistle as McGuire's late effort was ruled out.

2010 - Rhinos 20 Bulls 20

The first draw between Leeds and Bradford on Good Friday came in 2010 as the Rhinos were forced to come from behind to share the points.

After Bradford amassed 16 points in quick succession, Leeds responded with the returning Lee Smith to get themselves on the board and mount a comeback. With the score at 20-6 deep in the second half, a second score from Smith as well as tries from Brett Delaney and Kevin Sinfield completed a brilliant comeback to take a point for the Rhinos.

2011 - Bulls 22 Rhinos 30

Leeds kicked their 2011 season into life as Brian McDermott's side twice came from behind to secure a morale-boosting 30-22 win over Bradford Bulls.

The home side established a 10-0 lead early on, only to be reeled in by tries from Paul McShane and Jamie Jones-Buchanan, before both sides went blow for blow in the second half. Patrick Ah Van's try with 17 minutes to go locked the score up at 22-22, but a Kevin Sinfield penalty goal and try from Danny Buderus ensured Leeds returned home with the league points.

2012 - Bulls 12 Rhinos 4

Despite lifting both the World Club and Super League trophies during the 2012 season, Leeds travelled to Bradford out of form heading into Easter and suffered a surprise 12-4 defeat at Odsal.

The club came into the match off the back of defeats to St Helens and Huddersfield, and Bradford added more insult to injury as Ben Jeffries and Jamie Langley scored for the Bulls in a tightly contested final score.

2013 - Rhinos 18 Bulls 18

2013's match between Leeds and Bradford the day before Good Friday went down as one of the highlight games of the season as Bradford fought back to draw level with Brian McDermott's Leeds side.

Both sides flung themselves into the contest as the away side quickly established a 12-6 lead - Kallum Watkins scoring the sole try from the Rhinos. Forwards Mitch Achurch and Jamie Peacock replied to put Leeds back on top in front of the home crowd, a slender lead

2014 - Bulls 6 Rhinos 46

A hat trick from Ryan Hall and a last-minute try from Rob Burrow on his 400th appearance for the club gave the Rhinos the perfect start to Easter as they walked over the Bulls in a 46-6 outing.

In the last meeting between the clubs during the Easter period, Leeds added to what had been a strong start to the season with only one defeat in the league in seven fixtures. Thanks to Hall's hat trick, as well as scores from Kallum Watkins, Joel Moon, Kevin Sinfield, Danny McGuire, Liam Sutcliffe and Burrow, the Rhinos recorded 40 points for the second time in consecutive games as Bradford continued to sit bottom of the table.

Make sure you're at all the important games in 2026

The best way to ensure you don't miss any of the key home games in 2026 is by signing up to become a Rhinos Member.

There's no better way to enjoy the 2026 Betfred Super League season than with a Leeds Rhinos Season Membership, offering fans the very best value for money on a game-by-game basis along with a host of exclusive benefits.

Costs for a 2026 Season Membership start at just £240 for Adults, £190 for Concessions and £70 for Juniors when purchased before the early bird deadline of midnight on Sunday 11^th January 2026.

Visit tickets.therhinos.co.uk or call 0371 423 1315 (Monday – Friday, 10am–4pm, excluding Bank Holidays) to purchase a 2026 Membership today.