Leeds Rhinos coach Rohan Smith hails 'great addition' after Festive Challenge win v Wakefield Trinity

Former Salford Red Devils hooker Andy Ackers was Rhinos’ official man of the match as Leeds rallied from 16-0 down after 14 minutes and 22-6 at half-time. Forward Mickael Goudemand was a try scorer in his first game since joining Rhinos from Catalans Dragons and ex-Newcastle Knights full-back Lachie Miller and former Canberra Raiders scrum-half Matt Frawley both got around an hour’s game time.

Miller was involved in a couple of tries, but also made several errors and Smith noted: “He over-tried, he was that desperate to show what he has got and impress. But I liked how he went out after half-time and played that little patch; he did well to get back on the tracks.

“Goudemand was excellent, I thought. He played nearly the whole game, we lost a few with injuries so he had to play more than expected, but he showed his traits and Frawley played well, had a good, solid game. He controlled the game when we took care of possession.

“I thought Ackers was a constant threat from dummy-half. He showed some of what he can do. He is just getting started, but I think he is a great addition to our group and a very underrated player in this country. I think he is an excellent player.”

After a poor first 40, Rhinos ran in six second half tries to turn the game on its head. Smith enthused: “It was a good battle and we had to earn our way back into the game.

“A lot of young kids got good experience against [what was] an experienced Wakefield team for a good portion of the game. It wasn’t without blemish, that’s for sure, but I was happy with the way people stuck together and kept playing and I thought we looked fit and sharp in the main.”

Rhinos wiped out Trinity’s 16-point half-time lead within 10 minutes of the resumption. Of what was behind their transformation, Smith said: “I thought we strung a few sets together and played pretty direct. We’ve got a top-end dummy-half who exposed some opportunities on the back of some quality go-forward, so we had a decent little patch there.

“The first half lacked any rhythm at all. There were penalties, turnovers for [incorrect] play-the-balls and no end-to-end footy. As soon as there was a little bit of that, I thought we went all right.”

Rhinos lost Morgan Gannon after he failed a head injury assessment. The second-rower had problems with concussion last season, but Smith confirmed: “It has been a good while since his last one and he’s in good spirits and pretty good shape in the changing room. We’ll go through the process there.”

Fellow forward Sam Lisone was taken off with a “tight calf” and winger David Fusitu’a, who was named in Rhinos’ squad last week, missed the game on compassionate leave following the death of a family member.