Leeds Rhinos' Jarrod O'Connor vows to learn from new No 9 Andy Ackers, hails 'really good' pre-season

The 22-year-old insists he sees the arrival of new number nine Andy Ackers as an opportunity rather than a threat to his place in the team and reckons the two can push each other to new heights. Ackers has replaced former captain Kruise Leeming who left Leeds early last season after losing his starting place to O’Connor.

O’Connor has played in Leeds’ last 49 competitive games and is ever-present under coach Rohan Smith, who joined Rhinos in May, 2022. He started all but the first two matches of last year, but was among the substitutes when Rhinos kicked off their pre-season campaign with a 41-22 victory over Wakefield Trinity on Boxing Day.

Ackers started at hooker in the Christmas fixture and another acting-half, Corey Johnson, was on the bench alongside O’Connor, who played at loose-forward when he came on. That was his original position before he switched to hooker after breaking into Leeds’ senior side in 2020.

Ackers, who was a member of the England squad in 2022, will wear number nine this term and is set to be first-choice hooker, but O’Connor stressed: “Everything’s still the same. It’s more competition [for a place in the team].

“We are pushing each other constantly in training and I feel like I’ve learned a lot off him already. Hopefully he can learn some things off me as well, just working together and trying to play our best rugby. I think that extra competition is going to bring the best out of me so I am really excited. We are working really well together.

“We want people who are excited to be here and who are going to relish the opportunity to play for Leeds. He has definitely shown that so I am excited to line up with him this season.”

Ackers and O’Connor both impressed against Wakefield, particularly in the second half when Leeds hit back from 22-6 behind. Of his new role, O’Connor said: “I felt like I had a good game, personally. I was planning on playing nine, but due to different circumstances I ended up at 13, which I enjoyed.

“It’s good I can keep working on both roles, so I can play wherever I’m needed. I was happy with my own performance and hopefully I can build off that. I am still seen as a nine, that’s my main thing to focus on, but obviously if ever anything goes wrong and I am on the bench, it is a position I can fill in. I want to fill in that position to a very high standard, which I feel I can do so I am happy to play there.”

Rhinos are back in training today (Thursday) following a Christmas and new year break. Their squad will be boosted by the addition of Australian centre Paul Momirovski who was set to meet his new teammates for the first time. Rhinos have been in pre-season for two months and O’Connor described preparations so far as “really good”.

He said: “Training has been going really well and I think in the next few pre-season games we can get that next level of intensity you can’t really get that much in training. I think the shape is coming on really well and everyone knows their roles. I think the longer the spine plays together, because they are all new here, the more it is going to benefit us.”

Rhinos didn’t have it all their own way against Wakefield, trailing 16-0 after 14 minutes, but clicked into gear in the second half. “As a team we started a bit scratchy, but we fixed it up at half-time,” O’Connor reflected. “Our attack in the second half really improved and we struck with the shapes we’ve gone with all pre-season. It looked like it went really well.”

Leeds are back in action away to Bradford Bulls on Sunday, January 28. Smith plans to field his first-choice side when they play host to Hull KR in James Donaldson’s testimonial game seven days later. Rhinos kick off their Betfred Super League campaign at home to Salford Red Devils on Friday, February 16.