LIANA LEOTA believes a tough-looking trip to Super League high-fliers Loughborough Lightning on Saturday teatime is a good gauge of how far Leeds Rhinos have come.

Rhinos belatedly got their first win of the season last week with the comprehensive 73-34 rout of Strathclyde Sirens, the other winless team at the start of round four of the competition, at the University of Huddersfield.

While a relief to get off the mark after a disappointing start to the season, the sense that Leeds were better than their record suggests means Leota sends her team to Loughborough believing they can cause an upset.

“As a coach I knew they were capable of a win like that so I believed in them from the start, whereas they needed this win to get that momentum to be able to take that into Loughborough this weekend,” she said.

Joyce Mvula and Geva Mentor will look to make it back-to-back wins for Leeds Rhinos at Loughborough on Saturday (Picture: Matt McNulty/Getty Images for England Netball)

“It’s a funny space to sit in. The girls have spoken this week about how that win gives them huge confidence but for me as a coach I had that in them from the start because I’ve seen what they’ve been able to do.”

Loughborough’s record of three wins and one defeat is the opposite of the Rhinos, but with very little separating fifth to ninth in the 10-team Super League, the trip to the second-placed Lighning offers a good yardstick for Leeds’ progress.

“For me it’s a good hit out of where we’re at,” said Leota.

“We played a brilliant game of netball on Saturday, now can we compete with the best, how far or how close are we?

“Can we last 60 minutes?

"What combinations are we going to put out against tougher opposition?

“So lots to look forward to for this weekend.”

Leeds Rhinos Netball see Loughborough Lightning as a test of how far they've come