Super League: Leeds Rhinos and Castleford Tigers meet on final day for play-off spot

Rohan Smith was appointed by Leeds Rhinos as replacement for Richard Agar in April

With the Super League play-off race all but wrapped up, only one place remains and it has come down to a potentially sensational last day "battle".

Sixth-placed Leeds welcome seventh-placed Castleford to Headingley on Saturday in a winner-takes-all contest.

Leeds could finish fifth depending on Salford's result against Warrington while the best Cas can reach is sixth.

"This is exactly what you get involved in sport for," Rhinos boss Rohan Smith told BBC Radio Leeds.

Leeds have recovered impressively from a poor start to the season under Richard Agar, who eventually stood down in March following a run of one win in their opening six games.

Former player Jamie Jones-Buchanan took interim charge of the Rhinos until Smith was appointed by the club in April.

Leeds have since turned their campaign around to win 12 out of 17 Super League games since his appointment on 20 April and get themselves in the play-off picture.

"You get involved in sport to be contesting the big moments," he said. "The season has created a lot of twists and turns at most clubs.

"But we do have a good belief in every game we've gone into. We believe we can win and nothing will change that."

'Anything can happen'

Leeds have made five changes to their squad for the visit of injury-hit Cas, who are without any half-backs after Danny Richardson sustained a knee problem against Salford on Monday.

The two teams faced each other at Magic Weekend in July when Cas were similarly depleted by injuries and Leeds put in an impressive second-half display to come from behind.

"Each game is its own," said Smith. "The last performance doesn't matter at all leading into the next one.

"Before we played them at Magic, there was similar chat about people not being available and they played a real hard game that day, despite the scoreline. It was much closer than that I believe. We're expecting a battle.

"We've all been around the game long enough in sport to know that anything can happen. It's about controlling what you can and not worrying too much about external factors."

'We need to show more fight than in Salford defeat'

Castleford boss Lee Radford has got his side in with a chance of a play-off spot despite injuries leaving them without a recognised half-back

Castleford must beat Leeds to take the final play-off place, while the Rhinos can finish fifth if they beat Cas and Salford lose to Warrington.

The eliminators round of the Super League play-offs is still to be decided, with Huddersfield and Catalans vying for third and fourth position.

Both the Giants and the Dragons will have a home tie for their eliminator, against one of Salford, Leeds or Castleford.

Cas come into the final game of the season off the back of a sobering 50-10 home defeat by Salford, who ran in eight tries to ensure a play-off spot of their own.

"I've just got one stipulation," Cas boss Lee Radford told BBC Radio Leeds. "We don't back Monday's performance up with another one. No matter how we go down, we just go down swinging.

"It's important that we show more fight than we did on Monday. That's really important to us."