Leeds Rhinos prospect Riley Lumb ready to 'kick-on' in clash with hometown club Castleford Tigers
Leeds Rhinos are quietly confident they have unearthed a star of the future.
Winger Riley Lumb has scored five tries in only seven first team appearances - one of which was cut short by injury inside the first minute - and been named Sky TV’s man of the match twice, including after his debut away to Hull FC 10 months ago, when he bagged a brace. The 20-year-old repeated both feats in Leeds’ 32-6 win at Salford Red Devils last Saturday, but wasn’t expecting to be in the team at this early stage of the campaign, after Betfred Super League legend Ryan Hall and NRL try-machine Maika Sivo were signed in the off-season.
But when the latter suffered an anterior cruciate ligament tear in Ash Handley’s testimonial a month ago, ruling him out for the whole of 2025, Lumb was handed a surprise chance. He has played the full 80 minutes in all Leeds’ three competitive fixtures so far and felt he had a “decent game” against Salford.
He said: “I stuck to my job, tough carries and finished my tries, so I did all right. I just want to get as many games as I can and keep playing well every week. I have got a good opportunity now,so it’s about kicking on from here.”
Though his tries grabbed the headlines, Lumb was just as pleased with the way he handled some tricky catches under pressure. “It is a big part of my job I need to nail, catching kicks on the full, so I was happy with that,” he reflected.
In a contrast of experience, Lumb has been playing on Leeds’ left, with Hall - now 37 and in his 19th season at first team level - on the other wing, providing a golden opportunity to learn from a master. “He does the tough carries,” the youngster said of the six-time Grand Final winner. “He works hard and he is always tracking back if there’s a break. I am just trying to replicate that.”
Lumb was an individual standout in a solid all-round team performance at Salford, which broke Rhinos’ duck in Super League, seven days after a home loss to Wakefield Trinity. They went 6-0 down after two minutes, but Lumb’s first try got them back in the contest and they went on to give their points difference a healthy boost, despite losing Cameron Smith and Brodie Croft to injury.
“It was a good win, especially after last week,” Lumb reflected. “We definitely bounced back and we’ve got to kick on and do it again on Sunday [against Castleford Tigers at AMT Headingley]. We stayed composed after going 6-0 down. We knew what we needed to do to get back in it and we did that and came away with the win.
“It was big for us, coming off a loss we needed that to kick-start our season and hopefully we’ll kick on against Cas. We worked for each other, especially with the injuries we got. We had each others’ backs and it was good defence all game, except for that one try. Defence wins you games, if you do it well.”
Lumb is from Castleford, played junior rugby with local sides Townville Tigers and Lock Lane and featured in three National Schools finals for the town’s Academy. At this stage of his career, every game is a big one - but Sunday more than most.
“I am looking forward to it,” he said. “Hopefully I get another game against Cas, my hometown club. Hopefully I play well against them and see what happens for the rest of the season. It does mean a bit more. I was a Cas fan when I was younger, but not anymore. I just need to keep playing well every week and doing my job and hopefully I’ll get a few more games.”