Leeds Rhinos news: Headingley pitch situation explained and upbeat pledge made for home game v Hull FC

Rhinos played Bradford Bulls at Headingley last Sunday, just three weeks after a concert was held on the pitch to mark the start of Leeds’ Year of Culture.

That left large bare patches at the western end of the ground, which has been heavily sanded, but Golding told The Yorkshire Evening Post the surface looks much worse than it actually is and work is being carried out around the clock ahead of Rhinos’ first home Betfred Super League fixture, against Hull FC on Friday, February 24.

“We are absolutely fine,” Golding said. “We live in a world where aesthetics are everything, but we are working on it night and day, working really hard and we are trying to force through as much growth as possible.

“The pitch, hopefully - if all things go right - will be in a great position for the game against Hull next month.”

Rhinos assistant-coach Chev Walker had no concerns after the Bulls match, which Leeds won 24-10 and Golding stressed: “We test the playability before every game, we do numerous tests and that was coming out fine.

“There was no slipping or anything like that. Either we don’t apply sand and if we get rain, it makes it quite slippery and it gets quite muddy; or we apply the sand and keep a fast, stable, firm surface, but it doesn’t look great. That’s the option that comes out as the decision 99 times out of 100.”

A concert on a sports pitch in January was a unique event. Golding added: “It has never been done, but I think as a club we should be proud.

“We have had a great event for the city and as a club it is great for us. These things are going to happen more and more often - we have got the finish for the Rob Burrow Marathon in May and we’re working through that now. A lot of thought goes into stuff like this.”