Leeds Rhinos boss demands response after biggest disappointment

Agar took charge last May, days before Leeds’ embarrassing Coral Challenge Cup exit at Championship side Bradford Bulls.

They were also well-beaten at home by Castleford Tigers in Agar’s first Super League game as boss, but he admitted last week’s 30-4 loss to Hull in the first game of this season felt worse.

Rhinos visit Huddersfield Giants in Betfred Super League round two tomorrow and Agar said: “They are all tough and this stage and we’ve probably made it a little tougher for ourselves with the way we performed last weekend.

“It is important we show a reaction and a response from what was a very difficult and disappointing day for us all.

“I said to the boys in review, my first two games coaching the club were Bradford and Cas, which were slap bang in the middle of the turmoil.

“But I felt last weekend was the most disappointing performance since I’ve been here, just because I felt we were way below our hard work standards.”

Agar insisted: “I wouldn’t say we didn’t try, but we worked nowhere near hard enough in certain areas of the game.

“I have always thought we are a difficult team to break down, but the manner of the tries we conceded in the first half was out-and-out soft.

“The boys know that and we’ve had a look at it. We had limited football, we were absolutely blown away on possession and a lot of that was self-inflicted.

“But within that we had opportunities we could have put away.

“We could have been two tries up in the first six or seven minutes had we taken our opportunities.

“When you play at this level you have to take those opportunities.

“While we are disappointed, at the same time we know what we need to fix up and how to do that.”

In contrast, after finishing 10th last year - and losing 44-0 at home to Leeds six months ago - Giants produced the result of the opening weekend with a stunning 32-12 victory at Catalans Dragons.

“They have started well,” Agar observed.

“I’ve been talking to their coach, Simon Woolford, they got them in early for pre-season and I think you can tell.

“They got them in pretty much straight away on the back end of last season and you can tell they’ve come together well and been working for a while.

“From what I have seen, defensively there’s a lot of desire and hunger and they will have gained a lot of confidence from scoring 32 points away at Catalans.”

Australian scrum-half Aidan Sezer has been grabbing the headlines, but Agar is just as impressed with some of Giants’ youngsters.

He added: “They have brought a high-profile half-back in who is very much controlling things.

“He has got a terrific kicking game and I think you can see a bit of what they have been working towards and what [youth boss] Andy Kelly has been behind.

“Some of the kids who’ve been in and out of the team and on the periphery are now starting to look really comfortable first-graders.

“They have taken a longer-term approach and - from what I have seen in their trial form and round one - they look like a team full of confidence and enthusiasm and, more importantly they are working hard for each other.”