Vital for Rhinos to produce an instant response

WITH the pain of their Challenge Cup final defeat still so acute, dejected Leeds Rhinos will return to work today fully aware they have no time to wallow in self-pity.

However, it will be a difficult prospect. Winger Ryan Hall admitted he had never witnessed scenes like the one faced in the immediate aftermath of Saturday's Wembley heartache against Warrington, a dressing room as grey, deflated and gloomy as the one across the way was ecstatic.

Even captain Kevin Sinfield was almost left speechless following the ruthless 30-6 destruction and it begged the question can the demoralised Super League champions recover to assert any influence in the forthcoming play-offs?

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Indeed, the long-term severity of the grievous blow inflicted by Warrington on the favourites during a stunning display cannot yet be fully measured.

"Afterwards, the dressing room was just in a state of shock," Hall told the Yorkshire Post.

"That's how everyone felt. No-one was their normal self and I've never seen Kev like that. I've never seen a dressing room like it. We'd gone there to win that cup but came back in just gutted.

"You never take any team lightly but we were surprised at how Warrington dominated us.

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"We never expected it to be that sort of match and afterwards we were all sat just stunned."

Given the importance of their next fixture, Leeds must immediately banish the disappointment of suffering their fourth loss in as many finals since 1999.

They are at Hull FC on Saturday afternoon in a pivotal contest which will decide the play-off spots.

If they are to lift a fourth successive Super League title then they must instantly respond.

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The odds on a fourth Rhinos triumph were already long given that no side has won from lower than third but they stretched out further given the majesty of Warrington's ominous Wembley display.

If Leeds lose at the KC Stadium they will relinquish fourth spot and, given that only the top four sides earn two chances in the play-offs, will face the prospect of sudden-death rugby during the first round next week.

Hall, who has featured in the previous two Grand Final wins, said: "Hopefully, we can get to Old Trafford again. Expectations now will be high and all focus is on Super League.

"We need to put in a good performance at Hull where it is always hard but, whatever, we just have to get back into it.

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"If we win, we'll beat them to fourth but potentially we could end up fifth or sixth as well so this is massive going into the play-offs."

It was not just hearts wrecked at Wembley, though, with second-row Jamie Jones-Buchanan departing with his foot in a protective cast and almost certainly out for the weekend, joining fellow forwards Jamie Peacock and Luke Burgess on the sidelines.

The West Yorkshire club had been out-muscled up front by Warrington and can ill-afford to lose another experienced grafter especially given Hull have their hardened Australian duo Craig Fitzgibbon and Mark O'Meley back in unison.

Of more importance will be the side's adherence to coach Brian McClennan's actual tactics with Hall admitting: "We set off on the wrong track (at Wembley).

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"We didn't execute what we were told. If we'd have gone through our game plan it could have been different but we did not stick to it.

"It's gone now. They brought their best game and we didn't. It was a big deal but we must only look forward.

"There's seven days from when we lost at Wembley to putting it right out on the field."

The England international concedes he expects buoyed Warrington to go on and reach the Grand Final and it would take a brave man to disagree given the air of confidence they displayed at Wembley.

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But if Leeds are to gain the chance to wreak revenge on them for what happened then, it will take the biggest effort of their recent history.

BRADFORD BULLS have signed Wigan winger Shaun Ainscough on a one-year contract.

The 20-year-old is one of a host of exciting young talents to emerge at the Warriors, along with the likes of Sam and Joel Tomkins, Liam Farrell and Michael McIlorum but has failed to cement a regular place.

He has scored 27 tries in 28 appearances split between his parent club and loan employers Castleford and Widnes, and shone with five tries in last week's Carnegie Floodlit 9s at Headingley – one of which came in the final against the Bulls.