Kevin Sinfield reflects on a year of progress for Challenge Cup winners Leeds Rhinos

After successive relegation battles, Rhinos won the Coral Challenge Cup this year and finished fifth in Betfred Super League.

Sinfield has credited an improved culture at the club, mix of young and experienced players and efforts of coach Richard Agar and his staff for the turnaround and insisted Rhinos are “absolutely heading in the right direction”.

Reflecting on Leeds’ 2020 campaign, he said: “The term we used about this year was ‘building’ and I feel we have made some improvements.

“We have grown; we have got some fantastic young players who have got better throughout the season and our environment and culture is as good as it has been for a long time, which is really pleasing. We have got some fantastic senior players and we are absolutely heading in the right direction.”

Rhinos played only six games in front of a crowd - four of those at home - before coronavirus brought rugby league in this country to a halt in March.

Fixtures after the competition resumed in August were played behind closed doors and Sinfield conceded: “We have missed our fans and sponsors.

“It has been a strange season and to get fifth place and make the play-offs was a big improvement on the last couple of years.

“I think the Challenge Cup win was really important for us, it is a number of years since we won a trophy and for our young players in particular to experience winning a trophy and playing in big games was vital.

“It also let them feel how good it is when you win trophies.”

Sinfield rejoined the club in 2018 to take up his current role and has always spoken of a three-year plan to get the team back on their feet.

“We are two and a half years in now,” he added.

“Next year was always going to be the big year.

“I felt we needed a couple of years to steady it and start rebuilding and growing and I am really looking forward to next year.

“I think we have got some fantastic young players and a group who really want to play for the club and enjoy doing that.”

Changing the “culture” among the playing squad was one of Sinfield’s priorities from the start and he feels real progress has been made on that.

“The spirit, you can see it,” he said. “I am really proud of the players’ application and attitude and what they stand for.

“We don’t always get it right performance-wise, as people have seen, but I can’t remember us getting done on effort and attitude.

“We have made some massive strides there and that isn’t one person, it has to be the whole club.

“Everybody plays a part in that and it has been a real push for all of us.”

Sinfield took the decision to appoint Richard Agar as interim coach when Dave Furner was sacked in May last year and then to make that permanent at the end of the 2019 campaign, on a rolling contract.

“Richard and the coaching team and backroom staff have done a really good job, especially throughout lockdown and coming out of that period,” he said. “The way people have got on with it, with their own personal challenges as well, I am really proud of the staff and the players.”

Rhinos’ season ended two weeks ago when they lost to Catalans Dragons in the first round of the play-offs. Sinfield accepted: “I am disappointed we didn’t go further, but ultimately the best two teams made the Grand Final.”

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