LEEDS // Danny McGuire is not used to losing with the Leeds Rhinos - and it is not a feeling he enjoys.
But he believes the two defeats in their opening four games of the English Super League season could inspire them to victory in the World Club Challenge tonight.
The Rhinos, Grand Final winners for the past three seasons, take on Melbourne Storm, the NRL champions, at Elland Road, Leeds.
It is an England versus Australia showdown of epic proportions that McGuire, a keen Leeds United football fan, said has the prestige of a Champions League final.
"It's a Barcelona-Manchester United type of game. The two best club sides in the world going head to head," he said.
"For Melbourne to be in the last four Grand Finals in Australia, where the all-round standard is probably a lot better than our Super League, is unheard of really.
"It shows what a great team they are. But we have won three titles back to back and beat them two years ago in the World Club Challenge so it's definitely the top two teams and a game to bring out the best in you."
He added: "I think this season we might have started a bit too over-confident and we had a bit of a rude awakening with the defeats to Castleford and Wakefield.
"When you are losing it hurts. I'm not being cocky, but we are not used to it at Leeds. I've not been involved in a run of games where we have not played well. This season, we have not.
"It's a tough challenge for us against Melbourne, but it's one we could do with right now to push us to our limits and find our best form. Every trophy is special in its own way, but to beat them would probably be the greatest achievement, definitely."
The main reason for that is the stellar names in the Melbourne line up, such as Greg Inglis, Billy Slater and Cameron Smith, their inspirational captain who could switch from hooker to half-back to face McGuire.
"They are three of the top five in the world," said McGuire. "I'd love to face Smith. You always want to push yourself against the best. He's brilliant and always a thorn in our side when he's played against England for Australia."
Slater, meanwhile, said his side are well aware of the challenge ahead. "We all know it is going to be a physical game with the way Leeds play the game as they are a really big side," said the full-back. "The most important thing for us is that we match that and then use the skill and the pace we possess and give it back to them that way."
Leeds have the weekend off from Super League duty, but Wigan maintained their 100 per cent record on Friday as they thrashed the Catalans Dragons 58-0 as Pat Richards went into the club's record books. He scored 38 points, the highest individual points tally by a Wigan player in the Super League, as he scored five tries and kicked nine goals.
The winger's only blip was hitting a post with his final conversion attempt, but Michael Maguire, the Wigan coach, could not hide his admiration.
"He was great and I felt for him when he hit the post with that last kick," said Maguire. "He would have ended up with 10 out of 10 but Paddy had a great game. That's credit to him. He's working very hard and the performances are coming out."
St Helens moved up to third as they beat Wakefield 22-16, while Hull got the better of Harlequins 28-4 and Bradford won a low-scoring affair at Salford 7-0.
Today's action sees Huddersfield take on Warrington.
akhan@thenational.ae
Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Results
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
TALE OF THE TAPE
Floyd Mayweather
- Height
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Conor McGregor
- Height
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
