MARK Applegarth is looking forward to testing the York Knights against the ‘standard setters’ in Leeds Rhinos this Sunday, playing in front of a sold out LNER Community Stadium.
The Knights are back in action on Sunday when hosting Betfred Super League leaders Leeds, who find themselves at the front of the pack by just points difference with four games to go.
York on the other hand are looking to secure a finish within the top ten by the end of the 2026 season, with Applegarth solely focusing on finishing as high as the Knights possibly can.
In front of a sold out LNER Community Stadium against the leaders, the Knights head coach knows his team have a monumental task on their hands.
But he won’t shy away from the challenge, calling for his York side to perfect their own game against a Rhinos side hurting from their defeat to Leigh Leopards last time out.
“It’s just one game at a time and finishing as high as we can,” Applegarth told BBC York.
“We’re lucky that we can go into Sunday with absolutely no pressure on ourselves, and all of the pressure firmly on Leeds.
“We’re looking forward to playing in front of a packed house there, Leeds are a quality team and they’ve been standard setters for a lot of the year.
“A few results as of late has let the teams below them catch up a little bit, they’ll be fighting their own battle in that sense.
“We’ll be fighting our own battle in terms of what we’ve been doing all year, which is chasing that consistency in our performance.
“I’m really happy for us to get back out in front of our own fans, for what should be a cracking atmosphere and a double header.
“I’m looking forward to going head-to-head against the Rhinos.”
Leeds have led the way in the Super League this season for much of the campaign, but after recent defeats to Leigh and Castleford Tigers, some of the chasing pack have closed that gap.
With four games left to play, the Rhinos won’t be happy to let their lead slip, and will see their fixture with York as a must win.
Applegarth has a lot of respect for Leeds head coach Brad Arthur, and picked out parts of the visitors squad which makes them a formidable opponent.
He assessed: “Leeds have always had the talent. If you take away the glory years, they’ve been in a bit of a period of a rebuild.
“Brad has come in, he’s done a really great job in getting some discipline in their performance.
“They’ve got some fantastic players that can punish you if you are slightly off, and they’ve got a bit of defensive resolve about them.
“They work very hard for each other, they’ve also got that grit that goes along with the flair.
“I think that they have got some of the best players in the league, as you’d expect with where their league position shows.
“We’re looking forward to challenging ourselves in that sense, but as has been our main focus for this year, it’s about making sure that we’re happy with the brand of rugby that we’re serving up.
“I’ve got a healthy respect for Leeds, I think they are a fantastic team, but our focus stays solely on ourselves for that consistency in our performance.”
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