2022 Leeds Rhinos season
2022 Leeds Rhinos season | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Super League Rank | 5 | |||
Challenge Cup | Sixth Round | |||
2022 record | Wins: 14; draws: 1; losses: 13 | |||
Points scored | For: 577; against: 528 | |||
Team information | ||||
Chairman | Paul Caddick | |||
Head Coach | Richard Agar (until March 2022) Jamie Jones-Buchanan (interim) Rohan Smith (from April 2022) | |||
Captain | ||||
Stadium | Headingley Leeds, United Kingdom | |||
Avg. attendance | 12,382 | |||
High attendance | 15,418 (v Castleford Tigers) | |||
Top scorers | ||||
Tries | Ash Handley (17) | |||
Goals | Rhyse Martin (84) | |||
Points | Rhyse Martin (212) | |||
|
This article details the Leeds Rhinos's rugby league football club's 2022 season. They were coached by Richard Agar until May 2022, Jamie Jones-Buchanan as an interim coach and Rohan Smith from April 2022 onwards. The Rhinos competed in both the 2022 Betfred Super League and the 2022 Challenge Cup.
Season review
[edit]On 12 February, Leeds began their Super League campaign with a 22–20 loss to Warrington Wolves[1] followed by losses at Wigan Warriors[2] and at home to Catalans Dragons[3] before their first win came in Round 4 with a 34–18 victory at Wakefield Trinity.[4] Leeds had an early exit from the Challenge Cup with a 40–16 defeat by Castleford Tigers,[5] and their run of poor results leading to the departure of Richard Agar as head coach meant that by mid-April Leeds were 11th in the table.[6][7] Interim head coach Jamie Jones-Buchanan oversaw wins against Toulouse Olympique and Hull Kingston Rovers before the arrival of the newly appointed Rohan Smith.[7][8] Towards the end of the season, Leeds went on a run of six wins[9] before suffering a 32–18 loss to Catalans Dragons at the end of August. It meant that to qualify for the play-offs Leeds needed to avoid defeat in the final round of the regular season against Castleford, which they achieved with two late tries that gave them a 14–8 victory.[10][11]
Leeds began their play-off campaign by travelling to Perpignan where a hat-trick by Liam Sutcliffe gave them a 20–10 win over Catalans Dragons.[12] Leeds faced Wigan in the semi-final. At half time the score was 4–2 to Wigan, but a try from Jarrod O'Connor (his first for Leeds) and two from James Bentley saw Leeds reach their 11th Grand Final with a 20–8 win.[13] The Grand Final took place on 24 September at Old Trafford where Leeds lost 24–12 to St Helens.[6]
Results
[edit]Pre-season friendlies
[edit]W Win L Loss
Date | Versus | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 December 2021 | Wakefield Trinity | H | Headingley | W | 34–6 | [14] | |||
23 January | Bradford Bulls | A | Odsal Stadium | W | 30–12 | 7,237 | [15] | ||
30 January | Hull F.C. | A | Headingley | W | 38–6 | [a][16] | |||
6 February | Hunslet | A | South Leeds Stadium | L | 6–34 | McConnell | Sinfield | [b][17] |
- ^ Tom Briscoe Testimonial
- ^ Harry Jepson OBE Memorial Cup
Super League
[edit]Table
[edit]Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts | Qualification |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | St Helens (C, L) | 27 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 674 | 374 | +300 | 42 | Advance to Semi-finals |
2 | Wigan Warriors | 27 | 19 | 0 | 8 | 818 | 483 | +335 | 38 | |
3 | Huddersfield Giants | 27 | 17 | 1 | 9 | 613 | 497 | +116 | 35 | Advance to Elimination Finals |
4 | Catalans Dragons | 27 | 16 | 0 | 11 | 539 | 513 | +26 | 32 | |
5 | Leeds Rhinos | 27 | 14 | 1 | 12 | 577 | 528 | +49 | 29 | |
6 | Salford Red Devils | 27 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 700 | 602 | +98 | 28 | |
7 | Castleford Tigers | 27 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 544 | 620 | −76 | 26 | |
8 | Hull Kingston Rovers | 27 | 12 | 0 | 15 | 498 | 608 | −110 | 24 | |
9 | Hull FC | 27 | 11 | 0 | 16 | 508 | 675 | −167 | 22 | |
10 | Wakefield Trinity | 27 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 497 | 648 | −151 | 20 | |
11 | Warrington Wolves | 27 | 9 | 0 | 18 | 568 | 664 | −96 | 18 | |
12 | Toulouse Olympique (R) | 27 | 5 | 0 | 22 | 421 | 745 | −324 | 10 | Relegated to the Championship |
Super League results
[edit]W Win D Draw L Loss
Date | Round | Versus | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 February | 1 | Warrington Wolves | H | Headingley | L | 20–22 | Handley, Prior, Tetevano | Martin (4) | 14,135 | RLP |
18 February | 2 | Wigan Warriors | A | DW Stadium | L | 12–34 | Austin, Prior | Sezer (2) | 12,575 | RLP |
24 February | 3 | Catalans Dragons | H | Headingley | L | 4–10 | Austin | 10,655 | RLP | |
3 March | 4 | Wakefield Trinity | A | Be Well Support Stadium | W | 34–18 | Handley (3), Fusitu'a, Gannon, Newman | Martin (5) | 5,040 | RLP |
10 March | 5 | Hull FC | H | Headingley | L | 8–31 | Briscoe, Sutcliffe | 11,552 | RLP | |
18 March | 6 | Salford Red Devils | A | AJ Bell Stadium | L | 12–26 | Handley, Oledzki | Martin (2) | 5,756 | RLP |
1 April | 7 | St Helens | H | Headingley | L | 0–26 | 6,519 | RLP | ||
14 April | 8 | Huddersfield Giants | H | Headingley | D | 20–20 | Gannon, Martin, Sutcliffe | Martin (4) | 11,286 | RLP |
18 April | 9 | Castleford Tigers | A | Mend-A-Hose Jungle | L | 14–16 | Martin (2) | Martin (3) | 9,372 | RLP |
22 April | 10 | Toulouse Olympique | H | Headingley | W | 25–14 | Dwyer (2), Briscoe, Donaldson | Martin (4) | 11,167 | RLP |
29 April | 11 | Hull KR | H | Headingley | W | 12–0 | Gannon, Prior | Martin (2) | 13,333 | RLP |
15 May | 12 | Salford Red Devils | A | AJ Bell Stadium | L | 8–23 | Handley, Oledzki | 4,473 | RLP | |
20 May | 13 | Wakefield Trinity | H | Headingley | W | 24–6 | Bentley (2), Austin, Fusitu'a | Martin (4) | 14,190 | RLP |
3 June | 14 | Warrington Wolves | A | Halliwell Jones Stadium | W | 40–4 | Fusitu'a (2), Handley (2), Donaldson, Hardaker, Leeming, Thompson | Martin (4) | 9,984 | RLP |
10 June | 15 | Huddersfield Giants | A | John Smiths Stadium | L | 16–30 | Handley, Hardaker, Sutcliffe | Martin (2) | 6,712 | RLP |
23 June | 16 | St Helens | A | Totally Wicked Stadium | L | 12–42 | Newman, Thompson | Martin (2) | 11,288 | RLP |
2 July | 17 | Hull FC | A | MKM Stadium | W | 62–16 | Handley (5), Leeming (2), Fusitu'a, Myler, Oledzki, Sutcliffe | Martin (9) | 10,682 | RLP |
9 July | 18 | Castleford Tigers | N | St James' Park | W | 34–20 | Bentley, Handley, Myler, Prior, Sezer, Sutcliffe | Martin (5) | 36,821 | RLP |
16 July | 19 | Toulouse Olympique | A | Stade Ernest Wallon | L | 6–20 | Dwyer | Martin | 4,230 | RLP |
21 July | 20 | Wigan Warriors | H | Headingley | W | 42–12 | Bentley, Dwyer, Martin, Mustapha, Newman, Smith, Sutcliffe | Martin (7) | 13,368 | RLP |
30 July | 21 | Catalans Dragons | A | Stade Gilbert Brutus | W | 36–32 | Myler (3), Dwyer, Sezer, Sutcliffe | Martin (6) | 8,165 | RLP |
7 August | 22 | Salford Red Devils | H | Headingley | W | 34–14 | Martin (2), Handley, Myler, Newman | Martin (7) | 14,668 | RLP |
12 August | 23 | Hull Kingston Rovers | A | Sewell Group Craven Park | W | 28–20 | Gannon (2), Myler (2), Dwyer | Hardaker (4) | 8,028 | RLP |
19 August | 24 | Warrington Wolves | H | Headingley | W | 24–18 | Gannon, Handley, Martin, Tetevano | Martin (4) | 13,152 | RLP |
24 August | 25 | Huddersfield Giants | H | Headingley | W | 18–14 | Austin, Martin, Myler | Martin (3) | 11,225 | RLP |
29 August | 26 | Catalans Dragons | A | Stade Gilbert Brutus | L | 18–32 | Dwyer, Myler, Walters | Martin (3) | 9,802 | RLP |
3 September | 27 | Castleford Tigers | H | Headingley | W | 14–8 | Sutcliffe (3) | Hardaker (4) | 15,418 | RLP |
Play-offs
[edit]Date | Round | Versus | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 September | Eliminators | Catalans Dragons | A | Stade Gilbert Brutus | W | 20–10 | Sutcliffe(3) | Hardaker (4) | 9,514 | RLP |
16 September | Semi-finals | Wigan Warriors | A | DW Stadium | W | 20–8 | Bentley (2), O'Connor | Hardaker (4) | 12,777 | RLP |
24 September | Grand Final | St Helens | N | Old Trafford | L | 12–24 | Leeming, Martin | Martin (2) | 60,783 | RLP |
Team bracket
[edit]Eliminators | Semi-finals | Grand Final | ||||||||||||
2 | Wigan Warriors | 8 | ||||||||||||
4 | Catalans Dragons | 10 | 5 | Leeds Rhinos | 20 | |||||||||
5 | Leeds Rhinos | 20 | 5 | Leeds Rhinos | 12 | |||||||||
1 | St Helens | 24 | ||||||||||||
1 | St Helens | 19 | ||||||||||||
3 | Huddersfield Giants | 0 | 6 | Salford Red Devils | 12 | |||||||||
6 | Salford Red Devils | 28 |
- Source:Rugby League Project
Challenge Cup
[edit]W Win L Loss
Date | Round | Versus | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 March | 6 | Castleford Tigers | H | Headingley | L | 16–40 | Martin (2), Sutcliffe | Martin (2) | 5,112 | RLP |
Club vs Country
[edit]W Win L Loss
Date | Versus | H/A | Venue | Result | Score | Tries | Goals | Attendance | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
8 October | New Zealand | H | Headingley | L | 0–74 | 9,125 | RLP |
Players
[edit]Squad
[edit]First team squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Head coach Assistant coaches
Updated: 20 April 2022 |
Transfers
[edit]Gains
[edit]Player | Club | Contract length | Date |
---|---|---|---|
James Bentley | St Helens | 2 Years | June 2021[18] |
Aidan Sezer | Huddersfield Giants | July 2021[19] | |
Blake Austin | Warrington Wolves | 1 Year | August 2021[20] |
David Fusitu’a | New Zealand Warriors | 2 Years | October 2021[21] |
Losses
[edit]Player | Club | Contract length | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Stevie Ward | Retired | — | January 2021[22] |
Kyle Eastmond | May 2021[23] | ||
Alex Sutcliffe | Castleford Tigers | 2 Years | September 2021 [24] |
Callum McLelland | October 2021 [25] | ||
King Vuniyayawa | Salford Red Devils | October 2021[26] | |
Konrad Hurrell | St Helens | 1 Year | October 2021[27] |
Luke Briscoe | Featherstone Rovers | October 2021[28] | |
Robert Lui | North Queensland Cowboys | November 2021[29] | |
Luke Gale | Hull FC | November 2021 [30] | |
Corey Hall | Wakefield Trinity | November 2021 | |
Corey Johnson | Bradford Bulls | 1 Year Loan | December 2021 [31] |
Muizz Mustapha | |||
Jarrod O'Connor |
References
[edit]- ^ "Betfred Super League Round-Up | Round 1". RFL. 13 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Betfred Super League Round-Up | Round 2". RFL. 20 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Betfred Super League round-up". RFL. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Betfred Super League Round-Up". RFL. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Betfred Challenge Cup Round 6 Round-Up". RFL. 27 March 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Saints make history by completing four-peat". RFL. 24 September 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ a b "Betfred Super League Round 11 round-up". RFL. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Betfred Super League Round 10 round-up". RFL. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Betfred Super League Round-Up | Round 25". RFL. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Betfred Super League Round-Up |publisher=RFL". 30 August 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Betfred Super League Round-Up | Round 27". RFL. 3 September 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Betfred Super League Round-Up | September 10". RFL. 10 September 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Leeds and St Helens to meet in Betfred Super League Grand Final". RFL. 18 September 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "Leeds beat Wakefield in Boxing Day Friendly". RFL. 26 December 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Pre-Season round-up | January 23". RFL. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 8 February 2024.
- ^ "Leeds Rhinos talking points: Win over Hull FC capped successful pre-season campaign". Yorkshire Evening Post. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
- ^ "Powerful Hunslet too strong for Rhinos". Hunslet RLFC. 7 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
- ^ "Leeds Rhinos sign James Bentley from St Helens on 2 year deal". Sky Sports. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Leeds sign Aiden Sezer from Huddersfield on 2 year deal". SkySports. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Leeds sign Blake Austin from Warrington on 1 Year deal". loverugbyleague. 4 August 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "David Fusitua joins Leeds on 2 Year deal". SkySports. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Stevie Ward forced to retire due to concussions". Sky Sports. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Kyle Eastmond retires from professional rugby". Sky Sports. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Castleford Tigers confirm signing of Alex Sutcliffe". Sky Sports. 21 September 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Castleford re-sign Callum Mclelland". BBC Sport. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Salford sign Vuniyayawa from Leeds". BBC Sport. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "St Helens sign Konrad Hurrell on 1 Year deal from Leeds". Sky Sports. 22 October 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Luke Briscoe returns to Featherstone". Sky Sports. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Rob Lui makes shock rugby league comeback". seriousaboutrl. 30 November 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Luke Gale joins Hull FC on 1 year deal". skysports. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
- ^ "Bradford Bulls announce the signing of three Leeds Rhinos players". loverugbyleague.com. Retrieved 15 June 2021.