Bachelor boys of Leeds have Saints and Wembley in their sights

Caps, gowns and degrees seem far removed from professional rugby league’s rugged world, and eyebrows were raised when Leeds Metropolitan Carnegie University established a partnership with Leeds Rhinos five years ago before taking up sponsorship of the Challenge Cup.

But on Thursday three of the Leeds team who will try to reach this year’s Carnegie Challenge Cup Final at Wembley, by beating holders and favourites St Helens in Saturday's semi-final at Huddersfield, already had something to celebrate.

It was graduation day for Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfield, team-mates Matt Diskin and Jamie Jones-Buchanan and assistant coach Willie Poching, after earning Bachelor of Science degrees in sport and exercise science at the university’s Headingley Campus.

Sinfield, 27, who has been with the Rhinos since he was 13 and has captained them to two Super League Grand Final triumphs and two World Club championships, said: ‘Sadly, you can’t play rugby league for ever and this has been an opportunity to prepare for the future.

‘I wanted to do a degree course when I finished my A-levels but at the time I needed to concentrate on rugby. Then this opportunity came up to find the right balance between learning and rugby by spreading a three-year course over five years on a part-time basis.

‘It’s been hard work but Matt, Jamie and Willie and myself have been able to help each other and often it’s a welcome distraction from rugby. I hope it’ll help me to stay in sport when I finish playing.

‘For the moment we have our biggest game of the season to think about. Only two of us, Jamie Peacock and Keith Senior, have won the Cup and neither of them with Leeds.

‘St Helens have done brilliantly to come from six points behind us in Super League but we weren’t too unhappy when we the draw was made. Saints tend to bring the best out of us.’