Do or die, boom or bust, all or nothing. Not for the first time, Leeds Rhinos find themselves in must-win territory.
Defeat at Catalans simply means they are in last chance saloon a week earlier than hoped. But all being said, they've been in that predicament for the last few months. Rohan Smith's stance on ignoring the league table might have prompted eye rolls from those opposed to sporting cliches but his philosophy has ultimately been proven correct. Every week, the importance of the result has increased, winning has always mattered more than the ladder and it's only now, the last game of the season, where the league table is of true significance.
It would be easy to dissect the defeat to Catalans and make it a bigger issue than it is. Ultimately, the Dragons were excellent in the first half, Leeds had no answer. It happens. Leeds, to an extent, got a taste of their own medicine after hurting teams during their winning spree.
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The concern is that Leeds do still have bad patches down the middle. The frailties aren't anywhere near as severe as they were months ago but the main cause behind their last two defeats has been down to giving up too much territory against sides that have gone direct at them through the middle. Toulouse were rolling the Rhinos for the majority of their victory over Smith's side and Catalans dominated them in a similar fashion during that first forty. If there is a chink in the armour, that's the one.
But Leeds aren't the only team guilty of that and the simple reality is that if you'd offered anyone involved with the Rhinos a one-off match at home to Castleford to secure their place in the top six when Smith arrived, they'd have snapped your hand off.
Leeds haven't had a game of this importance at Headingley since their play-off semi-final with Hull FC in 2017. It will be their last game there this season, too. It promises to be one of those nights. Castleford will look to spoil the party, they are capable of doing that, but the Rhinos will back themselves. They always do.
It promises to be an electric night.
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