Leeds Rhinos hooker Kruise Leeming turns attention to play-off push after giving verdict on international display

The Rhinos hooker represented the Combined Nations All Stars at the Halliwell Jones Stadium and gave Wane food for thought thanks to a lively performance.

Leeming was left with mixed emotions after his first outing since Leeds' emphatic win over Warrington Wolves on the same ground at the start of June.

"I felt sharp and really fit and strong," Leeming told The Yorkshire Post.

"I felt like I sped the game up a little bit when I came on and didn't miss a beat out there. When you come off the bench your job is to either keep the standard if the lads are doing well or to lift it.

"I played a little bit of a different role to what I normally play and I lifted the standard. I tried to lift our intensity to get us on the front foot.

"I'm just absolutely gutted not to win. There was a lot of emotion in the camp this week because it means so much to the lads. To not get the win hurts."

It was a positive response by Leeming to the disappointment of being overlooked by Wane for the mid-season fixture.

The 26-year-old made his England debut against France at the end of 2021 but found himself playing for the All Stars in a repeat of last June.

Leeming believes he did enough to convince Wane that he is made for the World Cup.

"I seem to love these big games on a higher stage," said Leeming.

"They seem to bring the best out of me. Some people perform better at club level but I perform better in the higher-stakes games when the Sky Sports cameras are there and there's a lot of pressure, a full crowd and big hype around it.

"I love those games and think I perform better in them. There are still some things for me to work on but hopefully what I have done is shown him that I don’t crumble on the big stage."

Leeming has another chance to impress Wane on Thursday night when the Rhinos travel to St Helens in Super League.

Rohan Smith's side are three points adrift of the play-off positions after going down to Huddersfield Giants last time out, a game Leeming missed through illness.

He is hoping a date with the champions brings the best out of Leeds.

"It's a big game and we need to bounce back because we had a below-par performance against Huddersfield and that's something we're not proud of," he said.

"It's good to get back on the horse playing the top teams. You always seem to rise for the top teams because you need to be on your game.

"Our problem at Leeds at the minute is we seem to have a good win then lower our standards a little bit. The way we train and the intensity of it might be a tiny bit off and we might get caught and the reality check hits us.

"We know we're going to have to be on against Saints to beat them so we'll turn up ready."

Leeming has at least 12 games to push his case for a spot in Wane's World Cup squad, more if Leeds qualify for the play-offs.

He will stop at nothing to ensure he achieves his goals.

Leeming said: "There's so much motivation there: the World Cup, play-offs, a Grand Final to win, Man of Steel points. I don't need to search for motivation.

"Every time I take to the field I want to perform and be a nine or 10 out of 10. I'm striving to get that consistency in my performance.

"The main thing for me now is to get my head down and get Leeds playing well.

"The play-offs is my next focus. I'll get through that, see where I am with Leeds and hopefully the World Cup comes after that.

"But first and foremost, I need to play well for my club because ultimately that's what will take me to the World Cup."