Leeds Rhinos coach reveals philosophy for Hull KR clash, signals end to passive defence

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New boss Brad Arthur has revealed the way he wants Leeds Rhinos to play when his reign begins against Hull KR at AMT Headingley tomorrow (Saturday).

The Australian is keen for Rhinos to “play football”, but emphasised the need to start well, build a platform and be “strong physically”. He also wants his team to take the game to the opposition when they don’t have the ball, a comment which will please fans frustrated by Rhinos’ so-called passive style of defence this season.

Arthur was appointed last week and took a watching brief when Rhinos were beaten 30-18 at Warrington Wolves eight days ago, after trailing 12-0 inside five minutes. Warrington doubled their score during a similar spell at the end of the half and went in at the break 24-4 ahead, but Leeds matched them for much of the contest and Arthur was pleased with the “fight” shown in the second period.

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Leeds Rhinos 'lucky to have Brad Arthur' says coach of rivals Hull KR
New Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur watches the closing stages of last week's defeat at Warrington Wolves, along with members of his backroom staff. Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com.New Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur watches the closing stages of last week's defeat at Warrington Wolves, along with members of his backroom staff. Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com.
New Leeds Rhinos boss Brad Arthur watches the closing stages of last week's defeat at Warrington Wolves, along with members of his backroom staff. Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com.

Outlining his philosophy, he insisted: “The game is very effort-based; you can’t win without effort, but you can’t also just rely on effort to win you games. We are going to be a team that prides itself on effort and playing for the jersey and playing for each other.”

He stressed: “The game has to be played at a physical standard, you can’t have a soft approach to the game so we need to be strong physically and be prepared to put your body on the line and go after the collision and enjoy it. Then there’s the football part of it, you’ve got to get your execution and skill right, but also manage the game.

“It’s not just going out there and saying ‘we’re just going to play footy’; you have to have some sort of plan and something you are trying to achieve in the game. You need to be chasing the result, but you need to accumulate a lot of small wins along the way. That’s how you get the two points.”

Leeds have made more errors than any other team in Betfred Super League and changing that is one of the former Parramatta Eels boss’ first priorities. “The team has a real willingness to play football and I think that’s one of their strengths,” he stated.

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Leeds Rhinos' Andy Ackers and Cameron Smith tackle Zane Musgrove during last week's game at Warrington Wolves. Leeds coach Brad Arthur wants his side to 'go after the collisions' against Hull KR. Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com.Leeds Rhinos' Andy Ackers and Cameron Smith tackle Zane Musgrove during last week's game at Warrington Wolves. Leeds coach Brad Arthur wants his side to 'go after the collisions' against Hull KR. Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com.
Leeds Rhinos' Andy Ackers and Cameron Smith tackle Zane Musgrove during last week's game at Warrington Wolves. Leeds coach Brad Arthur wants his side to 'go after the collisions' against Hull KR. Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com.

“Now my job is to try and harness that a bit and make sure they know how to build the pressure, play that bit of footy they like to play when the time’s right, but we have to start games better and build a platform. If we do that, it goes a long way towards [getting] results.”

He added: “It is about how we manage and build our game and the start will be a part of it. We’ve done some work on that and I think the boys have got some real clarity around our style of footy and how we want to play. Now we’ve got to put that into practice. We are going to be put under pressure and under pressure we’ve got to keep falling back to what we’ve talked about and what we need to do.”

Arthur has signed a short-term deal until the end of this season, which could mean he is in charge for only 10 games if Rhinos fail to qualify for the play-offs and he doesn’t stay on next year. They began round 18 in seventh place, four points adrift of the top-six and have a tough run-in with seven of their remaining fixtures being against teams above them on the ladder.

Hull KR are third, six points clear of Leeds and won 22-12 on their own turf when the sides met five months ago. “They are a good side and they are playing well,” Arthur said of his first opponents.

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New Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur at AMT Headingley this week. Picture by Peter Smith.New Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur at AMT Headingley this week. Picture by Peter Smith.
New Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur at AMT Headingley this week. Picture by Peter Smith.

“I’ve watched a bit of them; they play plenty of football and they try to build pressure, kick into the corners, get you coming out of red zone. They wait for you to make some mistakes and they’ve got some football in them.

“They are going to test you so your line has got to stay up and be straight, but they are all things we’ve talked about as a team already, that we’ve got to be better at. We need to get off our line in defence and go after the collisions, instead of waiting for teams to run into us.”

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