Warrington Wolves v Leeds Rhinos in focus: Opposition star man, key battle, previous meeting and verdict
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Rhinos could complete back-to-back wins for only the third time this season, but face a Wolves side determined to bounce back from successive defeats. Here’s a scene-setter.
Betfred Super League round 17
Where and when?
Date: Thursday, June 29.
Time: 8pm
Venue: HJ Stadium
Warrington’s star man: Pacy winger Matty Ashton is Wolves’ top try scorer so far this season, with 12, putting him fourth on the Super League list.
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Hide AdKey battle: Kickers Stafan Ratchford and Rhyse Martin are jousting to become Super League’s top points scorer. Ratchford is currently third on 122, with Martin’s 128 leaving him just nine short of leader Marc Sneyd, of Salford. Ratchford has kicked 13 more goals (59 to 46), but Martin’s nine tries have given him the advantage.
Previous meeting: February 16, 2023. Super League round one. Warrington 42 (Tries Dufty, Clark, Thewlis, Walker, Kasiano, Harrison, Minikin. Goals Ratchford 7), Rhinos 10 (Tries Olpherts, Sangare. Goal Martin). Referee: Liam Moore. Attendance: 11,082.
Verdict: Both teams will feel it’s a game they should win, if they play well. After a good start, Warrington’s recent form is patchy at best and they’ll need a big improvement from their past two games. Leeds’ squad looks much stronger than a few weeks ago and they played themselves into form in last Friday’s win over Huddersfield. If they can repeat that, Warrington will have to be very good to beat them, but can Rhinos string two dominant performances together? They haven’t so far and can’t afford another step back this time.