Leeds Rhinos Wheelchair are 80 minutes away from a return back to the Betfred Wheelchair Super League Grand Final as James Simpson’s side take on Wigan Warriors in a repeat of last year’s finale head to head at The Edge, kick off 6.30pm.
A spotless season for the Rhinos so far has put them as favourites to lift the Grand Final trophy as they have eight wins from eight games. Kickstarting their season with a 64-52 win against Halifax to open their campaign, Simpson’s side have since gone on to record wins over all all four opponents in Super League including big wins over Hull FC and London Roosters, but the side have also had to navigate tight head to heads.
The first rematch with Wigan Warriors saw Leeds win by six points, and then a week later the Rhinos squeezed passed the Roosters in a 44-40 scoreline at The Edge. A two point home victory over Halifax at the start of August was also a close-call, but the side rallied to record back to back wins over London and Wigan to finish the season as League Leaders for the fifth time since 2019.
Saturday’s opponents Wigan edged into the top four with a win over Halifax on the final day of the season. After a third place finish in 2023, the Warriors were in a tight battle with London and Hull FC for places in this year’s semi finals, but victory last time out against Halifax ensured that they set up a rematch with the Rhinos this weekend.
Although their Grand Final retention got off to a strong start on the road against Hull FC, the Warriors lost their next three games against London, Leeds and Halifax to sit in the bottom half of the table. A win over London at home gave them only their second win before defeats to Hull FC and Leeds left them level on points with the black and whites, along with a one point deduction for a forfeited fixture, but they came through a close affair with Halifax thanks to Greenhalgh’s second try in the closing moments.
Last three semi final form
2023 – Leeds Rhinos 54 Halifax Panthers 44
2022 – Leeds Rhinos 54 London Roosters 14
2021 – Leeds Rhinos 66 Halifax Panthers 63
Head-to-head matchups
2024 – Leeds Rhinos 46 Wigan Warriors 36
2024 – Wigan Warriors 36 Leeds Rhinos 42
2023 – Leeds Rhinos 42 Wigan Warriors 50 (Grand Final)
2023 – Leeds Rhinos 68 Wigan Warriors 36
2023 – Wigan Warriors 38 Leeds Rhinos 50
2022 – Wigan Warriors 50 Leeds Rhinos 76
2022 – Leeds Rhinos 62 Wigan Warriors 40
2022 – Wigan Warriors 62 Leeds Rhinos 62
How to watch the action
Fans can head to The Edge and watch the action live in person as the Rhinos go in search of a return to the Wheelchair Grand Final.
The Sportsman will also be showing the game live on YouTube. Make sure you’re subscribed to not miss any of the action. Go to https://www.youtube.com/@TheSp… and subscribe now.