Leeds Rhinos 'doing pretty well' despite run of defeats says Hull KR boss Tony Smith

Rovers broke their duck for the season with a dramatic 25-24 defeat of Huddersfield Giants seven days ago.

That came after golden point losses in two of their three previous matches and they now boast the same 33.33 win percentage as Leeds.

The Robins’ squad has been rebuilt since they finished bottom of Betfred Super League last year and their former Rhinos coach Tony Smith reckons they are on the right path.

“We have made some progress in some areas and hopefully we can keep that going,” Smith said of today’s game.

“That’s the challenge for all teams, to improve week-in and week-out.

“I’d like to think we’ll be able to do that, but there’ll be another team trying to do the same thing, which should make it a really interesting match.”

Smith coached Rhinos from 2004-2007, winning the Grand Final in his first and last seasons at the club.

He also worked alongside Rhinos boss Richard Agar at Warrington Wolves and reckons Leeds are playing better than their run of three successive defeats suggests.

“They are well-coached and they do the little things well,” Smith said. “They’ve had a shedload of injuries and that has disrupted their start.

“That’s rugby league, Rich Agar has been around long enough to have experienced some of those.

“While they haven’t won over the last three weeks, they have certainly challenged each of the teams they have played.

“I am expecting a few familiar faces back this week, which gives them a bit of a boost, but they have been doing pretty well, despite the results not going their way.”

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