The bad habits that cost Leeds Rhinos a play-off spot: avoidable defeats led to 8th-place finish

Rhinos finished eighth in Betfred Super League for the second successive year, despite picking up two more victories than in 2023 and it was their habit of throwing away a match-winning lead that cost them a higher finish on the table and qualification for the play-offs.

Leeds led in eight of the 13 games they lost and defeats by Huddersfield Giants at home and away to Salford Red Devils proved particularly costly. Against Giants in April, Rhinos were 12-0 ahead after 32 minutes, 10 points up at the break and, after Huddersfield had equalised early in the second half, 24-12 in front until 16 minutes from time.

They went on to lose the game 30-24, to the team who eventually finished eighth points behind them in ninth spot and it was a similar story at Salford four months later. Rhinos raced into a 12-0 lead inside nine minutes and were 16-6 ahead early in the second quarter, but lost the game 22-16. It was that collapse which ultimately wrecked their top-six hopes as Salford ended the regular season four points better off, in fourth place.

Leeds were 12-10 ahead at home to Hull KR as late as the 74th minute before the visitors scored two last-gasp tries to win 20-12 and, though they scraped a victory in extra-time, Leeds wasted an eight point advantage away to London Broncos. Rhinos at least managed to shake off their habit of losing to Super League’s bottom team, but only just.

Having been beaten by Wakefield Trinity in 2023, Toulouse Olympique a year earlier and London in their previous two relegation campaigns, Rhinos won all three meetings with the Wimbledon-based wooden spoonists.

Two of those, however, went to golden-point extra time and that had an impact on Leeds’ points difference, which didn’t matter in the end, but might have done. And, embarrassingly, they were one of only three sides to lose against second-bottom Hull FC, an 18-10 away reverse in June ending Rohan Smith’s time as coach.

Highlighting their inconsistency, Rhinos cruised to a huge 68-6 success when the Black and Whites visited AMT Headingley late in the campaign. That was their third successive victory, something they managed just once in 2024. Too often a good performance was followed by a poor one, or vice-versa.

Rhinos’ home form improved as the season went on and, after losing four successive league and cup matches at Headingley in March and April, they won seven of their final eight. But if Leeds are going to achieve anything next year, results away to teams around or above them on the table will need to be better.

Whereas in 2023 Leeds won at Wigan Warriors, St Helens, Warrington Wolves and Salford, this year they lost eight of nine meetings with the top-seven away from Headingley. Those defeats included a 38-0 drubbing at Wigan little more than a month after a 36-4 win over the league leaders on home soil. In 2025 Rhinos have to narrow the gap between their best and worst performances, which this year was vast.