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.
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) | |||
|
Season review
editOn 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
editPre-season friendlies
editW 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
editTable
editPos | 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
editW 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
editDate | 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
editEliminators | 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
editW 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
editW 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
editSquad
editFirst team squad | Coaching staff | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Head coach Assistant coaches
Updated: 20 April 2022 |
Transfers
editGains
editPlayer | 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
editPlayer | 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.