Leeds Rhinos v Toronto Wolfpack - Time now for Rhinos to deliver

Life in Super League has not been easy for the newcomers.

Far from it when you look at their position at the bottom of the table, holding up a record of played five, lost five and a points difference of minus 90.

Hamstrung by the lightest of squads, even Sonny Liston – never mind Sonny Bill Williams – would struggle in this fight and the wolves have whimpered rather than snarled.

Indeed, considering star-studded Warrington Wolves were vanquished 36-0 by Leeds at Emerald Headingley as recently as Friday, the suggestion is those bookmakers are being particularly tight.

Add in, too, that Toronto were kept pointless in similar fashion less than 24 hours later when St Helens eventually eased to a 32-0 victory against them, and it is easy to see why there could be serious worries about the outcome of tonight’s match for them.

The romantic notion, however, is that all the Wolfpack’s travails will come to an end at Headingley this evening: where better for Brian McDermott’s Toronto to get off the mark than back at the club where he won four Grand Finals and remains their most successful-ever coach?

Being sacked unceremoniously when Leeds slumped so alarmingly almost two years ago will not be forgotten by the former Royal Marine who turns 50 later this month.

You can, therefore, imagine the narrative writing itself; the steely McDermott returning in triumphant mood to end Rhinos’ encouraging revival, silence the doubters and all the blue and amber fans sat in those expensive new seats.

Nevertheless, that bitter exit will not be uppermost in his thoughts; eking out a much-needed win in any way possible for his new team will be all the gritty Yorkshireman desires.

Yet, in spite of all of that, this game is actually arguably far more important and critical to Leeds than their desperate, relegation-fearing opponents.

They have won three games on the spin since their false start against Hull FC and, with every victory, have looked more and more like a side of real promise.

The key matter for them is continuing that; too often in recent years – and even long before McDermott’s departure – life at Leeds has consisted of far too much wild inconsistency. The ups and downs have been relentless and even when McDermott won his last title in 2017 there was a sense of cracks being papered over. The refit has been troublesome with his replacement Dave Furner proving a short-lived and expensive mistake.

But under the diligent Richard Agar they have started to resemble a team once more and you can see what the former Hull FC man is trying to achieve.

With England scrum-half Luke Gale bringing that crucial cohesion and kicking game ahead of his 300th career appearance, teenager Harry Newman thriving alongside that beast of a centre Konrad Hurrell, and a forward pack beginning to exert its own authority, Rhinos have the potential to kick on.

The danger is one slip could leave them brittle once more, regurgitating all those nagging doubts. They cannot afford to fall back to square one and any sort of defeat to Toronto would likely have that sledgehammer effect.

Wolfpack, of course, have stunned them once before at Headingley in the 2018 Qualifiers.

With that in mind, if Leeds are serious about being challengers, this sort of game is truly one in which they need to deliver.

As much as Agar’s side is still in its embryonic stages, Super League is essentially not that ‘super’; Salford Red Devils proved last year how an unfancied side can emerge from nowhere to reach Old Trafford.

Given their past pedigree, it is hard to even lump Leeds in the same bracket, but they are; they have the feel of outsiders and they could conceivably quietly make their own push in 2020.

Making sure they do not get outmanoeuvred by their former coach is the first objective.

Admittedly, it would be good for the competition – and the sport – if Toronto at last got going tonight and for many neutrals that would be the ideal result.

But if Rhinos – who will go top with a win – are to turn their mini-renaissance into something so much more, they must ensure that does not happen.