Leeds looking for Jungle joy

Leeds will be looking to change the course of history when they visit derby rivals Castleford tonight.

The Rhinos - under growing pressure from London Broncos for fifth spot ahead of the Grand Final Series - have won just one of their seven previous Super League clashes at The Jungle.

A dismal run of form away from home has sent the Tigers tumbling out of the play-off zone, but they have won their last five home games and claimed the top-five scalps of Hull, Leeds and St Helens along the way.

However, only two points separated the sides at The Jungle in June and Castleford coach Graham Steadman is expecting another close-fought tussle.

"It's going to be tight, which is the norm for these type of fixtures," he said.

"It's always a big fixture and the fact that they are local rivals adds a bit of spice to the occasion. Invariably the atmosphere is a little bit special."

The Tigers are boosted by the return of Australian Mitch Healey, who was instrumental in their 28-26 triumph over Saints a fortnight ago, and are set to give a run-out to back-row forward Chris Charles, who is on loan from Hull KR.

Leeds, for whom veteran forward Gary Mercer begins his second spell, need at least two wins from their last five fixtures to hold off the challenge of the Broncos.

But with games coming up against St Helens, Wigan and Bradford, that is no easy task.

The Rhinos were outclassed by the Bulls a week ago, but coach Daryl Powell insists that, despite the loss of Iestyn Harris, he has enough talent at his disposal to make an impact on the rest of the campaign.

"We have world-class players in our squad, along with some of the most exciting young players in the game," said Powell.

"We have proved on a number of occasions that we can compete with all the other sides in the top five, but we need to bring all those positives over the season into a combined effort for the next two months."