A Busy Sporting Weekend

Over the next week, there'll be a fair bit of rivalry around LS6, as two big matches take place at Headingley, both with important in their own right.









Firstly, Friday see's what many people (excluding those in St Helens and Wigan) proclaim as the biggest derby in Rugby League. Leeds Rhinos take on Bradford Bulls in the race for a Super League play-off spot. The Rhinos, in forth are starting to string a few performances together, have a stable looking team with players in reserve and have closed the gap on St Helens at the top to just two points.
However, the same can't be said of Bradford.
Odsal hasn't really been the most harmonious of places in 2006. The season didn't really start well to be honest, despite some confidence within the camp. First their outspoken Chairman Chris Caisley left, several players, including Great Britain International's Sturat Reardon and Leon Pryce during the off-season.
As the season got underway, coach Brian Noble walked away from the club he served as a player and coach for over 15 years, taking what is regarded as the worlds best forward in Stuart Fielden to Wigan with him. Add to that runmours of financial trouble and a high court case hanging over the club and captain Iestyn Harris and you could argue that the Bulls will do well to hold on the the forth spot that they currently occupy.

That said, Headingley will be packed on Friday night. Form counts for nothing in games like this and it'll be 17 against 17 for a solid 80 minutes. Leeds v Bradford games are always games worth watching, even if Sky TV think overwise and it should be a pulsatng encounter.

After the dust has settled there, Headingley hosts the famous 'Roses' clash in Cricket's Twenty20 Cup. I alluded to the rivalry in an earlier post, but the bottom line is that you don't want to lose a Yorkshire vs Lancashire clash, regardless of the competition.
What makes this match even more interesting is that it'll be "Part II". The sides meet on Friday night at Old Trafford. Revenge will no doubt be on the mind of one of the sides come Tuesday evening.

Here's to two home celebrations at Headingly in the next few days!