LEEDS Rhinos have arguably been Saints’ nemesis in the latter half of Super League.

The very fact that the two teams share 13 of the titles between them since 1996 show how much the two have dominated the summer game.

But after emulating Saints’ 2006 clean sweep in 2015 Leeds endured an horrendous fall back down to earth last season.

A combination of injuries and the departures of talismans Kevin Sinfield and Jamie Peacock saw them fail to make the top eight and have to play Batley and Featherstone in the Qualifiers.

But Saints boss Keiron Cunningham recognised the difficulties they went through last ter.

He said: “When things go bad they can go horrible. I thought Brian Mac did not get any credit for what he did at the end of the year, they nearly made the eight and had they done so they would have had a good shot at it.

“He was without some key people for a long time. Leeds have no point to prove, they are a great club and they will be looking forward to coming here.”

Leeds’ strength has traditionally come from powerful and pacy backline, the diminutive Rob Burrow’s ability to still be a thorn when running at big men and the second phase created from the offloading of front row throwback Adam Cuthbertson.

Despite a few notable exceptions, ties between the two have traditionally been good, entertaining encounters.

Cunningham said: “Saints v Leeds games are usually good games with points in them and some entertaining rugby.

“I watched how Brian Mac has got his team playing – it is the same style, really expansive. It will be quite a flashy game so we have to make sure that defensively we are good.”

Cunningham said that Saints know more than most what pains Leeds experienced last season as they came to terms with the departures of some modern giants of the British game.

"Transition is hard for any club – look what we went through when we lost myself, Sean Long and that type of player.

"It is not just about losing good players, but leadership too. Leeds losing Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock and Kylie Leuluai – players with 1,500 games between them – was tough for them last year."

On top of that Rhinos had the injuries across the board that left them depleted in their traditionally strong parts of the field.

"They will learn from that as a club and their kids will be a year older and all their middle tier players will be better for it.

"I thought Mac did a great job – to have your Carl Abletts and Jamie Jones Buchanans out for that period, and the outside backs missing, which is their strength – the Hall, Briscoe, Moon. Those kids out there held their hand up and they finished strong.

"It was no coincidence that when those players came back they started playing well again," Cunningham said.