St Helens v Leeds Rhinos: Rohan Smith not fooled by talk of selection crisis

Saints lost Agnatius Paasi, Alex Walmsley and Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook to injury in the Challenge Cup semi-final defeat to Leigh Leopards, while fellow forward Morgan Knowles is rated as 50/50 for the visit of Leeds.

In addition to the players that were controversially injured last week, Sione Mata’utia picked up a two-match suspension and Joey Lussick has left the club to join NRL outfit Parramatta Eels.

Paul Wellens' side are also without Curtis Sironen, Joe Batchelor and Jon Bennison.

Saints have bolstered their squad with the addition of versatile hooker Moses Mbye but Wellens will be forced to field a host of fringe players against the Rhinos.

Smith sees a squad that is still packed with talent.

“They've got their first-choice backline, [plus] Matty Lees, James Roby, James Bell, probably Morgan Knowles," said the Leeds boss.

“They've still got a lot of players who are the glue and the nucleus of their team. They've got lots of Super League/NRL experience, with Moses Mbye joining that mix, who is a State of Origin player.

“They are going to be a strong team. It is important our players understand who some of the other players are that perhaps they don’t know.

“Being prepared for the unknown is important in this case but the nucleus of their team is still there and we know it is going to be a battle.”

The rivals have fought out two titanic tussles already in 2023, with Leeds winning by a point at the Totally Wicked Stadium before Saints gained revenge in golden point in the reverse fixture.

St Helens have lost their last two games and are off the pace at the top of Super League but there is no chance of Smith taking the four-time defending champions lightly.

"You know what you get from St Helens no matter who is playing for them or no matter the previous results," added Smith, whose side are two points adrift of the top six.

"They compete hard and have been the most competitive, spirited team for a long period of time in Super League. They find a way to give themselves a chance to win every week.

“We have had some cracking battles this year with them and we want to go there and have another.

“We have learned a lot – and probably a lot about ourselves and what’s possible when we are playing against such a great club.

“We gave a good account of what we are capable of on both those occasions and are going to need to find that again.”