Straight talking Leeds Rhinos aim to bounce back against Wigan Warriors after St Helens debacle

Coach Richard Agar cancelled the players’ day off on Monday following the 48-0 home defeat by St Helens.

That was the first time Agar has questioned whether his side were trying hard enough - and it is not something he is prepared to accept.

“We felt it was so bad we needed to address it straight away,” he said of the fallout from Leeds’ first home nilling in 28 years.

“One thing I would say is pretty much since I took the job we have got our effort sorted out.

“I think we are a team that when we win or when we lose - even at times when we have lost and not particularly played well - I have found it difficult as coach to question their effort and commitment.

“This is the first time I feel I have ever had to stand in front of them and question their effort.

“You only have to look at probably six of the eight tries and think there’s some really poor effort in there - an example is five blokes on a kick-chase instead of 10.

“There was some really poor effort so I think it was important we tried to get to the bottom of why.”

Agar admitted there “could be a multitude of reasons for that”.

He said: “We can offer some stuff up that might sound like excuses, or we can stand up to the brutal reality of what the performance did.

“What we spoke about as a playing group is the club has had a couple of rough years here and I think gradually and in a really positive way we have managed to rebuild the trust among the playing group, with the hierarchy of the club and, importantly, with our fans.

“I think performances like that quite rightly raise question marks and erode some of that trust we have worked so hard to get.

“It is fair to say we have had a good look at everything: our approach to the week, what we delivered in the week, our recovery, the volume of work we did on the back of Covid and the game the week before.

“We are not brushing it under the carpet and saying ‘it was Saints, they are a good team’ - we are more concerned with what we saw as some poor and very soft efforts within that game.

“We feel we have a comfortable enough forum for the players to say what they think and say what they mean to each other.

“There was some pretty straight talking on Monday about where and how we let ourselves down.

“The only opportunity we have got now to make amends for that is to start putting it right this weekend.”

Wigan knocked Leeds off pole position with a 23-22 win over Wakefield Trinity last Sunday and tomorrow is another huge test, in only Leeds’ second away game this year.

“They are top for a reason,” Agar said. “I think Jackson Hastings is a tremendous player and would be in any conversation for the best player in the competition. He has seamlessly transitioned to Wigan, by the looks of it.

“Bevan French brings them so much, Zak [Hardaker] is in good form and, as always, Wigan are a very good team and tough defensively.

“They are hard to break down on their tryline and obviously have started the competition in good form.

“As it always is playing Wigan, it is a very strong challenge.”

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Laura Collins