Leeds Rhinos talking points: Form surge, best defence and Rohan Smith's magic substitutions

With two rounds remaining, fifth-placed Leeds have one foot in the play-offs.

Here’s five talking points following the 18-14 defeat of Huddersfield Giants.

1: Happy days. The current run is Rhinos’ best since the final four games of 2017 and first two the following season. The last time they recorded six successive victories in the same campaign was the previous year in an eight-match winning run which included three games against Championship sides in the middle-eights. Leeds hadn’t won six successive regular season matches since 2015.

2: Rhinos resurgence. It’s hard to believe Leeds made the worst start to a season in the club’s history. As late as round 16, in June, Rhinos were 10th in the table, five points behind fifth-placed Hull and the play-offs looked out of reach. The improvement in results under Rohan Smith - 10 wins from 14 games - is startling.

3: Warning signs. That said, though they’ve had purple patches in attack, Leeds haven’t played consistently well over 80 minutes since the home win against Wigan five weeks ago and strong defence is getting them through. They got away with it against Huddersfield, but will need to be better in their final two league fixtures and the play-offs, should they qualify. These tight outcomes, in must-win matches, are good practice, however.

4: Winning is a habit. What Rhinos have developed over the past four months is an ability to tough games out, stay calm if things go against them and find a way to win when they aren’t at their best. They aren’t a champion team yet, but those qualities are a step in the right direction.

5: When you’re hot, you’re hot. In the modern game, it’s unusual for a back to be named among the substitutes, unless there’s no other choice. Smith selected Tom Briscoe on the bench against Giants and, hey presto, he was available as a straight replacement when Liam Sutcliffe was injured in the opening exchanges. Two weeks earlier, Blake Austin was brought back from injury as a substitute and Cameron Smith, playing stand-off, picked up an early injury.