2 hrs

MATCH PREVIEW | Under-16s open year with Bulls clash

The Under-16s Scholarship season gets underway this Wednesday night as Leeds Rhinos host Bradford Bulls at Stanningley, kick off 7pm live on Rhinos TV Plus.

Under new management as Simon Brown heads up the club's Scholarship programme in 2026, the Rhinos look to make a strong start to their season, which consists of eight games over the next five months. Beginning against Bradford, the club then head to Hull FC later this month before hosting Leigh at the start of April.

As they look to make a winning start, this fixture against the Bulls has provided plenty of points over the last decade. Excluding 2018, when the sides didn't have a fixture, Leeds have been the overall victors, with 32-0, 60-0, 64-0, 68-6, and 52-18 results in the last five years. Last year's triumph at Odsal was the first of three consecutive wins as the Rhinos went on to claim six victories in eight outings.

Watch the highlights:

Despite a damaging loss to the Rhinos, Bradford retaliated to win two games over the course of the 2025 season. Castleford and Wakefield were both defeated last campaign, but like the Rhinos, the Bulls will be eying up a winning start to 2026.

Watch Live

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Team News

For his first game in charge of the Scholarship, Simon Brown has named an experienced lineup as 15 of the 20 players are in their second year at the club.

One of 2025's top try scorers Noah Sheriffe (4 tries) looks to make a strong start to 2026 as he's joined by Alfie Quinn, Joe Gill and Dexter Cooper in the outside backs. Wade Smith also scored four in his first season at the club, but will bring an impact off the bench on Wednesday night.

Henry Brough gets a first start for the club in the halves, having featured four times off the bench last year, whilst Ben Smith leads the forward pack, having played six times in 2025.

Eli Kirrane-Perrin and Cole Charlesworth-March are set to pull on the Rhinos shirt for the first time since joining the Scholarship in November 2025, pus Oliver Brown is the only other first-year player to feature in the starting lineup. Laike Smith will make his Rhinos Scholarship debut off the bench.

The team in full is: