Rhinos v Crusaders: Teams
Leeds welcome back six players as they look for another win against Crusaders at Headingley Carnegie on Sunday.
Last Updated: 18/06/10 4:40pm
Leeds will look to extend their impressive run of victories when they host Crusaders at Headingley Carnegie on Sunday.
After a slow start to the season, the reigning engage Super League champions have surged back into contention with seven consecutive wins in all competitions.
And in the wake of last Saturday's 44-22 win over Harlequins, the Rhinos will welcome back six key players after England's international clash with France.
Captain Kevin Sinfield, prop Jamie Peacock, winger Ryan Hall and half-back Danny McGuire have all returned to the squad after being selected for England.
Returns
Jamie Jones-Buchanan and Ryan Bailey are also back in the fold but Matt Diskin, who picked up an injury against Quins, Rob Burrow, Luke Burgess and Ali Lauitiiti are still absent.
Crusaders currently sit 11th in the Super League table but Leeds head coach Brian McClennan is not under-estimating his opponents.
"Any side that is coached by Brian Noble is always going to be a difficult team to play against," he told his side's official website.
"They gave us a tough battle in Wrexham on the opening day and we have both improved a lot since then.
"They defeated Bradford at the Magic Weekend when the Bulls were a on roll but they beat them again last week and they will come to Headingley Carnegie full of confidence."
Call-ups
Noble has called Wales internationals Elliot Kear, Gil Dudson and Lloyd White into his 19-man squad for the contest.
The Wrexham-based outfit are currently dealing with a string of injury problems, including Jamie Thackray and Rocky Trimarchi, who have been ruled out of the trip to Headingley.
Influential half-back Michael Witt is the latest player to suffer an injury blow and has joined Tommy Lee and Jarrod Sammut on the long-term absentee list.
Crusaders boss Noble knows that his side will head into Sunday's match as huge underdogs.
He told the Crusaders' official website: "They are champions for a reason. They are also in the semi-finals of the Challenge Cup for a reason, they've got some fabulous players and we need to be ready for them.
"I think we will be but we are not underestimating our task. We will need to be at least as good as we were last week."
Leeds squad: Webb, Donald, Delaney, Senior, Hall, McGuire, Leuluai, Buderus, Peacock, Jones-Buchanan, Sinfield, Eastwood, Bailey, Kirke, Ablett, Ambler, McShane, Clarkson, Smith
Crusaders squad: Youngquest, Martin, Mellars, O'Hara, Withers, Bryant, Hauraki, Chan, Dyer, Winternstein, Peek, James, Flower, White, Kear, Lupton, Schifcofske, Hanbury, Dudson