On Thursday afternoon, Justin Sangare and Mickael Goudemand of the Leeds Rhinos spent time with Illan Meslier and Georginio Rutter, two Leeds United players and fellow citizens.
It was a pregame event for tomorrow’s Sky Sports-televised games, in which Daniel Farke’s Whites will play Championship rivals Huddersfield Town at 12:30 p.m.
The Rhinos’ Super League home game against the Catalans Dragons will air live on Sky Sports at 3 p.m. The ceremony held at United’s Thorp Arch training field yesterday was essentially a lighthearted PR blitz between two prestigious institutions in a city that loves sports.
France rugby league players Goudemand and Sangare looked stunning in Leeds United colors, while France Under-21 internationals Rutter and Meslier wore Rhinos shirts.
The French trio participated in several tasks, including a petanque game, and shared anecdotes about their upbringings and athletic careers.
The Rhinos players clarified the distinction between rugby union and rugby league to Rutter and Meslier. “We had a good time and spoke about some funny moments,” said Sangare, who joined from Toulouse Olympique at the beginning of the previous season.
FRIDAY READ: Leeds and Wigan are two of the five crucial Super League topics before Round 3.
“I’m delighted, as it was nice to get up with the Leeds United players, particularly the French players. It’s good to have this connection since they told us about themselves and where they’re from when we spoke in French.
“We’re going to try and get them to come and watch a game and sample the atmosphere,” Sangare said, extending an invitation to Meslier and Rutter to attend a Rhinos game at Headingley. “We can have the same atmosphere but with a different sport.”
Over the years, there have been many partnerships amongst the clubs, but the connections have been patchy at best. Naturally, from 2005 to 2010, the Rhinos participated in four World Club Challenges at Elland Road.
The first of those, a historic 39-32 victory over the Canterbury Bulldogs and a teenage Sonny Bill Williams, is hard to forget. At least not the 37,028 people who crammed into a boisterous Elland Road—the greatest turnout for a World Club Challenge held in England.
For boyhood Whites fans Danny McGuire, Richie Mathers, Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Danny Ward, it was the stuff of fairytales. In 2018, the Rhinos played Super League games against Hull KR and Castleford Tigers at Elland Road while Magic Weekend will also be held there for the first time in August.
