Leeds Rhinos news: ace set for surgery after playing through injury, reveals timescale for return

Harry Newman’s season ended on Saturday - six days before his Rhinos teammates report back to the club for testing - when England lost 30-8 to Australia in the third Ashes Test at AMT Headingley. It was Newman’s first appearance of the series, but he was ever-present for Leeds this year.

Rhinos’ pre-season begins next Monday, but Newman - along with Kallum Watkins and Mikolaj Oledzki - will be given time off following England duty. And the centre revealed he will undergo surgery to resolve a long-standing issue.

“I’m going to have a couple of hernias fixed up,” he said. “It’s only a four-week recovery so my off-season will sort that out and I’ll be raring to go on the Tenerife pre-season camp. I’ve played the whole year with [the injury], I’ve had two steroid injections to get me through. It’s a tough sport we play, but I want to put my best foot forward. I think playing every game this season is a massive achievement personally and being part of a Leeds team that’s starting to build, it’s looking good.”

Newman added: “I’m ready to put my feet up for a bit, but it won’t be that long - probably four or five weeks. Then I’ll be raring to go again. I’m someone who needs a holiday, then I need a routine.

“I’ll be excited to get back into Leeds, on the back of what we started to build last season. We didn’t win anything so we can’t say it was a successful year, but we improved massively, finishing fourth. There’ll be some new signings, I would think, it’s a great group, great coaches and I am excited for another year here.”

The loss to Australia was Newman’s seventh England cap and his first defeat. He admitted: “I’m absolutely gutted, but the camp has been outstanding. We’ve played against the best team in the world and 10-minute switch offs in three games has probably cost us.

“To beat them you have got to be right on it for 80 minutes. We were right in that game in the 60th minute again, but they have got some world class players and they really showed that.

“You’ve got to give them the credit, but it will hold us in good stead. I am proud of the lads, all the staff and the coaching team - we’ve had a great camp and it has been thoroughly enjoyable.”

Newman stressed: “We’re going into a World Cup next year and it’s probably an eye-opener for us, knowing where we need to improve and what we have to get better at. If we’re going to win the World Cup, we’ll have to beat them at some point. It has been tough, getting beaten 3-0, but it’s a learning curve and one we’ll look to put right.

“Any switch off in a game like that and Reece Walsh, Nathan Cleary, Cameron Munster, they are going to pick you off. That’s what they’ve done, but I loved being part of the camp and am grateful I got an opportunity, especially at Headingley.”

Coach Shaun Wane insisted after the game he is the right man to lead England into next year’s tournament and Newman agrees. He said: “One hundred per cent. I can’t thank Waney enough. Since I came into the camp in 2023 he has been great for me and really taken me under his wing. I’ve learned a lot off him and the lads he has picked and he is 100 per cent the right man for the job. We’ve had three tough results, but we’ll fix it up and go into the World Cup ready.”

The series finale was watched by a sold-out crowd of 19,500 at Newman’s home stadium. “We were camped on their line for 15 minutes and the crowd really got behind us,” he reflected. “They have done in all three Tests. It has been special to be part of, even at Wembley and Everton when I wasn’t playing.

“I thought the atmosphere at Everton was outstanding and to see more rugby league games there would be great, but coming back to Headingley and pulling that jersey on again, it is a dream come true every time I play for England. To do it against the Aussies, I know we got beaten, but it is a real honour.”