Things are looking up but there's a cloud on the horizon: latest Leeds Rhinos talking points

The team are in good form and confidence is growing on the terraces after a series of hard-fought victories, including last weekend’s 22-18 success against Wakefield Trinity. Here’s five talking points.

1: It hasn’t been perfect and there’s still a huge amount of work to be done, but Rhinos should be cautiously pleased with the way the first half of the Betfred Super League season has gone. After 13 of the 27 rounds, Rhinos are third in the table, four points clear of seventh spot. It is only the third time in eight seasons they’ve been in the top-six at this stage - previously, they’ve been 10th twice, eighth, seventh twice, sixth and fourth, which was during the pandemic-hit 2020 season.

In addition. Rhinos’ four-game winning streak in May is the club’s best run of results since 2022. The last time they won every game in a single month, after playing more than one fixture, was way back in August, 2016. That was in the middle-eights and included victories over second-tier Featherstone Rovers and London Broncos.

The current table doesn’t mean a huge amount, though points already in the bag are ones they won’t have to be chasing in the final few rounds. But it shows Rhinos are on an upwards trajectory after years of stagnation or decline.

2: Whether they can stay there remains to be seen, but over the past couple of months Leeds have looked like a top-four side, which should be the very least of their aspirations. It’s a hard-fought competition. Hull KR and Wigan Warriors are a cut above the rest, Salford Red Devils, Huddersfield Giants and - possibly - Castleford Tigers aren’t at the races and Catalans Dragons and Warrington Wolves are at a point where their year could go either way, but there’s very little to choose between the teams from third to seventh.

Leeds have yet to travel to a top-seven side and haven’t played third-placed Leigh Leopards at all, so their fixture list will get tougher over the final 14 rounds. But they are defending well, there’s a real resilience about them and they are finding different ways to win games, including when they haven’t been the better side. All that’s encouraging and perhaps the best thing to be said about the current team is fans are actually looking forward to watching them play, rather than dreading the experience.

3: Halfway through the season, Rhinos don’t have a head-coach contracted for next year and that’s a cloud in otherwise blue skies. Brad Arthur has played down his role in the team’s development, but is exactly what was needed when the job became vacant a year ago: an experienced, no-nonsense boss who was prepared to go back to basics, get the simple things right - starting with defence - and take it from there.

The players like and respect him and have bought into what he wants to achieve. If Arthur leaves, whoever comes in will have a solid foundation to build on, but inevitably he’ll want to do things his own way - and at the moment, what Rhinos really require is some stability.

Though the players and club are doing their bit by giving Arthur reasons to stay, he - understandably - wants to be closer to his sons, who play in the NRL. However, with Perth Bears apparently no longer an option, he may have to choose between a guaranteed job here and returning home and hoping something will turn up. It’s in the balance, but whatever happens, Rhinos are in better shape now than before Arthur took over and that’s how a coach should be judged.

4: A two-week gap between games is good timing for full-back Lachie Miller after he picked up a calf muscle injury against Wakefield. It also gives Arthur time to come up with a contingency plan.

The most obvious is switching Jake Connor to full-back, where he played in his first five games for Rhinos, with Jack Sinfield or Matt Frawley coming into the halves. But Rhinos have won seven of their 10 matches with Connor at six/seven and they didn’t score a point against Wakefield after Miller went off.

The alternative is for Connor to remain at half and someone else to fill in at number one. That’s Alfie Edgell’s natural position, but Ash Handley has played there in the past and Riley Lumb was a full-back in the lower grades. Ethan Clark-Wood could step in to play centre or wing. Not ideal and Miller would be a big loss, but there are options.

5: A year on from his death, Rob Burrow remains close to the heart of everyone associated with Rhinos. His achievements will never be forgotten and it’s only right the club continues to honour one of its favourite sons.

Though obviously his family are most deeply affected, the six years since Burrow’s motor neurone disease (MND) diagnosis have been an unprecedented time for Rhinos and the club’s response throughout has been exemplary. There are better teams on the pitch at the moment, but off it, Rhinos remain in a class of their own.