Leeds Rhinos boss says result at Catalans Dragons 'didn't reflect the battle, praises 'spirited' effort

Rhinos failed to score for the second time in successive visits to Perpignan, but trailed only 8-0 at half-time and were 14-0 behind until Catalans scored two converted tries in the final three minutes.

Rhinos were missing a host of first-choice players, including star stand-off Brodie Croft and the game was played in sapping 28 degree heat. Smith said: “I thought it was a really spirited performance.

"We played hard against a really professional, experienced team on their own patch in their home conditions. I thought we gave a good account of ourselves. There’s been a bunch of games in Super League where the final scoreline hasn’t reflected the battle it was. The better team won today, for sure, but we weren’t that far away.

“There’s a lot to take out of that, how we attacked the game and how we stuck at it. But it’s hard to take at the same time, we let ourselves down in some execution areas and didn’t apply enough pressure to the opposition.”

Rhinos made a series of errors, the most crucial coming when Tom Johnstone pounced on a mistake near Catalans’ line and raced the length of the field to score the game-breaking try. Smith admitted: “That was an attacking error that cost us points. That was a key moment in the game, but most of our errors we found a way to defend - to find a way to get the ball back. That was great to see.

Two of the nine penalties Rhinos conceded came from their own kick-off, the second after Dragons had scored their third try in the final moments. That led to another score on the last play and Smith said: “It was great to see a penalty for offside off the kick-off because teams are always offside and he [referee Tom Grant] found that moment at 78 minutes, for a player who wasn’t contesting the ball. That was pleasing to see. We didn’t need to go short on that occasion, we should have gone long, but it was good to see the rules being applied on occasions.”

A previous kick off, following Dragons’ first try, had gone out on the full. Smith admitted: “They are momentum-changing plays, they can’t be accepted. We need to do better at those for sure because there was so much effort and spirit went into that game and young players stepping forward and having a genuine crack.

“I think for much of that game it was in the balance. The penalty to go 8-0 in front was a really key part as well. That wasn’t offside, James McDonnell’s 11 metres back when [Micky] McIlorum touches the ball and he finds and offside. There was 100 plays in that game when you could find an offside.

“They were big moments - there was a strip that wasn’t which swung the momentum of the game in the first half, then we allowed a quality, strong team to get the jump on possession and that probably took some juice out of us.

“I thought we finished the game pretty well with energy considering the conditions and the way we didn’t get enough position and possession due to our own skill at times, but there were also some key moments that swung the game.”