Leeds Rhinos' James McDonnell talks England chance, new coach and Super League top-six hopes

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A first taste of the England set up has left Leeds Rhinos forward James McDonnell hungry for more.

McDonnell was called into the national squad for last month’s mid-season Test against France in Toulouse, but did not feature in the matchday 17. He had already been capped for the second-string England Knights and played for Ireland in the 2022 World Cup, but reckons the latest experience can take his game to a new level.

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“Not playing wasn’t exactly a disappointment,” the 24-year-old second-rower reflected. “I would have loved to play, but I knew what my role was going into that squad.

“Being there, in and around the squad, is going to help me - getting my foot in the door and being on the radar, that’s where I want to stay now. I want to be consistently playing good rugby and showing the effort areas, the stuff that goes unnoticed by most. I am sure that’s what got me that selection in the first place and that’s where I want to keep my game.”

James McDonnell, left, combines with Brodie Croft to tackle Matty Ashton during Leeds Rhinos' defeat at Warrington Wolves. Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com.James McDonnell, left, combines with Brodie Croft to tackle Matty Ashton during Leeds Rhinos' defeat at Warrington Wolves. Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com.
James McDonnell, left, combines with Brodie Croft to tackle Matty Ashton during Leeds Rhinos' defeat at Warrington Wolves. Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com.

The arrival of former Parramatta Eels coach Brad Arthur is another opportunity for McDonnell to develop his performances. The Australian will take charge for the first time when Hull KR visit AMT Headingley on Saturday.

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McDonnell said: “He has massive experience over there with Parramatta so I am sure he is going to bring in some very good stuff for us to look at and hopefully it will lift the standard. Hopefully he will set some standards and some goals and really put a line in the sand after what has been. It is a fresh start and he can really put his mark on this team. Hopefully there’s a massive reaction from the squad and a massive buy-in.”

With 17 Betfred Super League rounds played, Rhinos are seventh in the table, four points adrift of sixth spot. It is a tall order, but McDonnell insisted they can stage a late surge into the play-offs.

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James McDonnell makes a break for Leeds Rhinos against London Broncos. Picture by Jonathan Gawthorpe.James McDonnell makes a break for Leeds Rhinos against London Broncos. Picture by Jonathan Gawthorpe.
James McDonnell makes a break for Leeds Rhinos against London Broncos. Picture by Jonathan Gawthorpe.

“It’s 10 games left, there’s 20 points up for grabs so that’s plenty of opportunity,” he said. “We need to look at what we want for the rest of the season; there’s no one [in Rhinos’ camp] who does not want to be competing. Sixth is the minimum for us at the moment.

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“That’s where we want to be. If we can get that, I think we’ve already shown this year - with the squad we’ve got - and in previous years we can beat anyone on our day.”

Rhinos will need to improve from last Thursday’s 30-18 loss at Warrington Wolves, which came after they trailed 12-0 inside five minutes. Leeds were the better team for much of the match, but McDonnell conceded: “We beat ourselves, that’s the frustrating bit.

“We know when we are flowing and putting the stuff together we want to play, we look unbeatable. We get into that rhythm, then we get back into beating ourselves with errors. Everyone puts their hand up, there’s accountability there. It’s not lack of accountability, myself included, but we need to get to the point where we are playing the rugby we want to play, consistently.”

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New Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur. Picture by Peter Smith.New Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur. Picture by Peter Smith.
New Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur. Picture by Peter Smith.

Leeds outscored Warrington in the second half, after trailing 24-4 at the break and McDonnell added: “Our reaction is there, definitely, but our start to the game is letting us down. We started poorly against London and we brought that into [last week]. We kind of found a way to get punched in the face.

“When teams like Warrington - who are a good team - get on top and get a roll on, it is tough to break them down. We managed to do that, but then it didn’t stay in place, which is the disappointing bit.”

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