I think the possibility and more likely scenario that they got it done AFTER training hasn't entered a few peoples heads. Rugby players don't spend every single hour of the week in training, they do have free time you know.

Maybe this could be a project for one of our universities. "The effect of hair colourant on performance levels in Superleague".

No doubt Phil Clarke will have some stats on the matter.

If you turn up as half d as we did last night, with your hair pink, people will naturally point to that as a reason. The players must have known that. I won't criticize them, because it's a great cause and at the end of the day who cares. It's just if you do go for that look, you put yourself up there to be shot at.

Leeds SL Era : By losing margin

-54, 1996 - Wigan (Central Park)
-46, 1996 - Bradford (Odsal)
-46, 2004 - St Helens (Knowsley Road)
-44, 1999 - St Helens (Knowsley Road)
-44, 2001 - Bradford (Valley Parade)
-42, 1998 - Halifax (The New Shay) Also the only SL Era game Leeds were nilled
-42, 2000 - Bradford (Headingley)
-40, 1996 - Halifax (Thrum Hall)
-40, 2012 - St Helens (Langtree Park)

Leeds were clearly off the pace for whatever reason. The hair styles may have had only a minor impact, but IMO BM, Peacock and co are protesting a bit too much - they know Leeds were off in attitude as much as anything else. Had Leeds turned up with the WCC attitude Sts would have struggled to score many points at all.

The lesson for everyone is fairly clear - if you do turn up looking silly, make sure you win. I suspect that despite JP and BM's protestations, Leed won't be doing the same next year.

<excuse mode on> The '99 game at Knowsley Road came three days after the Challenge Cup Final victory over London at the old Wembley stadium. <excuse mode off>

I'd like to say Leeds sent a second string side but they didn't. Barring putting Harris on the bench (and not using him) the side looked very respectable on paper. I think they'd have been better sending a second string instead.

In 2004 again it was a respectable looking side on paper - only really Burrow at hooker in place of Diskin out of the ordinary. It's the game Tony Smith always referred back to during his Headingley days after Leeds had flat-tracked bullied some hapless opponent or other with his trademark 'that's happened to us' and 'once you lose momentum it's difficult to get it back' type comment so it came in handy.

What about our hair do's? What did they all do ?

Oh yeah I remember that now Didn't we play Wakey at home in the rain three days later? Tough week.

That's right. Powell, Lawford, McDermott, Jones-Buchanan and Ward were the players rotated in for Sinfield, Mathiou, Glanville, Harris and Masella as Leeds got away with a 22-8 result after trailing 2-8 at the break. Settled for that.

like every single person has already said they looked like a bunch of t**ts, did that cost you the game? IMO no
you were be a against a team with a new coaching team that really had each and everyone of the players fired up for the game.

the fact we you were first up against The RUSH era you had no idea what we were going to come with, inside runners, support play, a real want in defance, some of ehich we have not seen for a good couple of years at saints so you were going into the game blind

mix that with the fact that you guys had a bad day in the office which happens and this has been showen in the league over the last few years with big score lines, a team playing at 100% against a team not quite on it and bang, people want answers even more so from a champion side like leeds, and the easy thing to pick is pink hair - so thats why you lost




Eddie and steveo do talk some s**t, with that said i believe with shenton and wellens on the pitch we win the game / the league, but you still had to win the game see where we were weak and do it, im not happy with the result but i dont begruge you the win......and nor should the main 'stars' of the sky commentary team very disrespectful, but they did the same thing thing friday night with the scum and wire calling the game the grand final that never was .... yeah NEVER was because they werent good enough