Leeds Rhinos: Sinfield concerned by Rhinos' lack of momentum

Rhinos’ Wembley dream was shattered when they were thrashed 48-12 by Warrington Wolves in a Ladbrokes Challenge Cup semi-final today.

They will go into Saturday’s middle-eights opener at home to Toulouse Olympique having won only one of their last nine games in all competitions and Sinfield said: “I don’t feel we’ve got any momentum at this moment in time so we’ve got to move quickly.”

The director of rugby conceded: “I think it’s a concern. There’s obviously some teams that are going to come after us and rightly so – I don’t blame them.

“We’ve got to be ready for that fight and that challenge. We start a new comp [today], I think there’s some realisation that this is where we’re at at this moment in time so we’ve got to do something about it.”

Sinfield described yesterday’s defeat as “ugly”.

He said: “It’s tough and disappointing, but we are where we are.

“It has been a rough month for all of us, but it doesn’t change too much in where we’re at. It is tough because you lose out on some silverware you may have had a chance of and a trip to Wembley, but being realistic, we’re not there yet –we’re not ready to win a game of that size.”

Injuries added to Rhinos’ worries with full-back Jack Walker (hamstring), centre Ash Handley (shoulder) and hooker Matt Parcell (rib) all failing to finish the game.

“That’s not why we lost,” Sinfield added.

“The best team won, we’ll take our medicine. Sometimes you’ve got to learn some harsh lessons. We will.”