Leeds Rhinos’ dismal run of results has had Rugby League historians leafing through the record books.
It seems it’s their worst start to a season since 1898, when after seven league games, their tally was also one win, six defeats.
To rub salt into the wounds 124 years ago, the sides victorious at Headingley included neighbours Leeds Parish Church, a short-lived side based not far from the current Royal Armouries Museum, and Hunslet, inspired by one Albert Goldthorpe, the legendary fullback after whom League Express’ Super League Player of the Year award is named.
The climb away from the foot of the table started in match number eight, a narrow victory at Halifax, and Leeds, who like all clubs in that era, selected their team by committee, eventually finished eleventh in a 16-strong Yorkshire Senior Competition won by Batley.
Now the Rhinos are preparing to play Huddersfield at Headingley on Thursday, and they are aiming to avoid a worse start than the boys of ’98.
A hundred years later in 1998, Leeds made the first of so far ten Grand Final appearances in the summer era, eight of which they won, making the relatively sparse recent years all the harder to stomach for the blue and amber faithful.
Brian McDermott has certainly proved to be a tough act to follow, with first David Furner, then Richard Agar departing, and old boy and now Sky pundit Barrie McDermott has described the next move as “the biggest coaching appointment in Super League history for Leeds”.
Their current plight has certainly added some extra interest to the forthcoming ‘rivals round’.
There are some cracking games in store, not least the first-ever all-French Super League showdown, with Catalans taking on Toulouse in Perpignan.
Elsewhere on Thursday, Wakefield host Castleford seeking a first win over their neighbours since 2015 (the Tigers have won each of the last 16 clashes between the pair).
But Daryl Powell has been unable to transfer that dominance over Trinity to his current employers Warrington, who suffered back-to-back home defeats by them in the league, then the Challenge Cup, adding to the clamour for a first win in six outings at home to Salford, who have themselves suffered five losses in six in all competitions.
Friday features the first Hull derby of the year, hosted by Rovers, who would draw level with their neighbours on eight points by winning.
Then the top two, St Helens and Wigan, go toe to toe at the Totally Wicked Stadium, with the Warriors seeking a first win in the fixture since October 2020, a month before they were beaten by Kristian Woolf’s men in the Grand Final.
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