It is steadily mentioned that groups are a mirrored image in their head trainer and this by no means felt truer on a sun-drenched spring afternoon in Leeds. Rohan Smith is indubitably enigmatic within the sense you by no means reasonably know what you will get from the Australian, be it in his dealings with the media or his courageous decision-making, whether or not this is with regard to group variety, tactical or anything .
Six weeks into the Super League season, his Rhinos facet have all of the hallmarks of a group who you simply can not 2nd bet in relation to efficiency. For 40 mins, they had been error-strewn and rancid their highest, simply as they had been ultimate week in defeat at Castleford. It was once no marvel that the Catalans led via 14 on the spoil and the good cash was once at the Dragons making it six wins from six.
That expectation most effective heightened when Harry Newman was once despatched to the sin-bin in a while after the restart. The Catalans, you felt, would for sure draw back at that time.
But Leeds, come what may, had been spurred into existence via being a person quick, scoring two times within the 10 mins Newman was once off the sphere. They did not forestall there and via full-time, they’d scored 24 unanswered issues, produced their highest 1/2 of the season and inflicted a primary defeat of 2023 at the Catalans.
Unpredictable? That does not even start to describe this Leeds facet underneath Smith. “At half-time I thought we were attacking well, we were troubling them – the score at half-time wasn’t a reflection of the game,” he mentioned. “You’ve seen there that there’s a lot of belief in this group and they play when the opportunities allow.”
The Rhinos in short led 8-6 within the early levels with tries from Newman and Rhyse Martin however as the primary 1/2 wore on, the Catalans moved during the gears. After Adam Tom Davies scored his first check out, Keighran moved the Dragons again forward sooner than Mitchell Pearce scored his 3rd of the afternoon.
An error from Martin then allowed Paul Séguier to make it 22–8 and given the stability of play, it was once a scoreline few may argue with.
When Newman was once proven yellow for dissent, it appeared inevitable Catalans would pull clear of Leeds. Instead, the Rhinos upped their recreation. “We were clearly the second best side in that second half,” the Catalans trainer, Steve McNamara, mentioned. “We lost momentum of the game and Leeds took full advantage.”
He was once no longer flawed. By the time Newman returned, Richie Myler and Jarrod O’Connor had crossed for tries to slim the deficit to 6.
Blake Austin was once central to either one of the ones tries and he was once integral within the transfer that ended in Leeds’ 5th as the phenomenal half-back broke from deep sooner than teeing up Derrell Olpherts. Crucially, Martin neglected all 5 makes an attempt at purpose, which means Leeds nonetheless trailed via two.
But they weren’t at the back of for lengthy. After Austin kicked a 40-20, his deft cross freed Tom Holroyd to transport Leeds forward and as Catalans driven to clutch victory within the ultimate moments, an instinctive spoil from Myler was once ably supported via Newman, who atoned for his previous sin to attain his 2nd and put the cap on an outstanding comeback from the Rhinos.