The scene is set for a blockbuster West Yorkshire derby when Leeds Rhinos visit Wakefield Trinity on Friday.

Rhinos, the Betfred Super League leaders, are two points clear of second- and third placed sides Wakefield and Wigan Warriors with them both to play in the final five rounds of the regular season. Leeds have a poor recent record at Wakefield and a growing injury list, but should be boosted by the return this week of captain Ash Handley. Here’s five talking points.

1: Game of the season. Friday’s derby is Super League’s biggest fixture of 2026 so far. A victory for Leeds would move them four points clear of Wakefield with just five rounds remaining, but if Trinity win, they’ll be level with Leeds and in with a real shot at not only the top-two, but also the league leaders’ shield.

Trinity have a tough run-in - including trips to Wigan Warriors and Leigh Leopards and a home clash with Warrington Wolves - and Leeds boast by far the best points difference in the competition so a Rhinos defeat wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would raise question marks over how they handle the really big games.

Leeds Rhinos were beaten at Wakefield Trinity in a Betfred Challenge Cup tie five months ago. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com.

placeholder image — Leeds Rhinos were beaten at Wakefield Trinity in a Betfred Challenge Cup tie five months ago. Picture by Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com.

It’s an intriguing showdown between two evenly-matched sides and the derby element just adds more spice.

2: Missed opportunities. The top three of Leeds, Wakefield and Wigan all have games they’ll look back at and think ‘how did we lose that’? For Trinity it was round one at home to Toulouse, while Wigan were beaten on their own turf by Huddersfield Giants and Castleford Tigers.

In Leeds’ case, losing at now second-bottom Hull FC way back in March was disappointing, but they’ll hope the defeat at Castleford last month doesn’t prove crucial. Rhinos scored seven tries, led by 16 points twice in the first half and were 30-16 up soon after half-time.

Both clubs’ results since then suggest it was a freak result. Leeds were clearly affected by the injury to Danny Levi, but would still have won if Jake Connor had kicked just two more goals. Since that afternoon, he has been successful with 13 of his 14 attempts and been in outstanding form. That response is credit to his character.

Caius Faatili, seen scoring against Castleford Tigers two weeks ago, is a big threat off the bench for Wakefield Trinity. Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com.

3: Play-off format. Under the current system, sides finishing first or second in the table tend to feature in the Grand Final. In the past six seasons the only time that didn’t happen was 2022 when fifth-placed Leeds won at fourth-placed Catalans Dragons and league runners-up Wigan before losing to table-topping St Helens at Old Trafford. That semi-final victory at Wigan was the last time Leeds won a knock-out tie of any sort against Super League opponents.

The sides finishing first and second have a bye through round one of the play-offs, when third play host to sixth and fifth are at home against fourth. The lowest-placed survivors then visit the league leaders in the semi-finals, with the two winners going through to Old Trafford.

4: Kitchens sunk. DIY Kitchens Stadium, as Belle Vue is now known, hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Rhinos over recent seasons and they have lost four of their last five games there. That includes a 24-14 Challenge Cup defeat in March and 15-14 loss 13 months ago, in their two visits since the stadium was redeveloped.

Leeds Rhinos' Jake Connor has been in fine form with the boot over the past couple of games. Picture by Steve Riding.

Leeds’ away form has improved since the poor result at Wigan in May, but they slipped up badly in their previous road fixture at Castleford. Though Rhinos beat Hull KR in Las Vegas early this season, they have lost away to Wakefield (in the Cup), Wigan and Leigh Leopards. Leeds did manage to win at Warrington Wolves, so that’s just one win on the ground of a top-six rival in four attempts. With Rhinos unbeaten at Headingley this year, it’s obvious why finishing first or second and securing home advantage is so important to Brad Arthur’s men.

5: Battle up front. Arguably the two best packs in Super League will go head to head on Friday. Trinity’s forwards have been outstanding this season and why the likes of Caius Faatili and Caleb Hamlin-Uele don’t feature in the top 10 Man of Steel contenders is a mystery.

Similarly, Leeds’ halves and outside-backs have thrived this year because their forwards have laid a platform. Keenan Palasia is a big loss, but all Rhinos other big men are fit and available and they’ll need to be at their best this week.

The battle of the benches will be particularly significant. Being able to bring on Faatili and Hamlin-Uele has been a real boost for Wakefield this season, but Tom Holroyd has established himself as one of the most potent impact players in the competition. The side who get the most from their replacements will probably come out on top.