YEP Jury: Same old story as toothless Leeds Rhinos suffer St Helens setback

Here they look back at last week’s 26-0 loss to St Helens and give their thoughts on what is going wrong.

TOM RHODES

Friday’s loss against St Helens was a slight improvement from what we’ve seen for the past few weeks.

I was expecting us to lose by over 50 points and, at 26-0 at full-time, I still walked away disappointed, but not as much as after the Castleford game. Improvement from that game was that we were able to gain metres but, when we got to the 10-metre line, both Blake Austin and Liam Sutcliffe looked as if they had no idea what they were doing. Again and again we would run it and not try a grubber kick or overhead kick. Are they scared?

With no game this week owing to the Challenge Cup quarter-finals, JJB needs to be getting them into training every day and working on new ways of attack, especially with a tough game the following week against Huddersfield Giants who are looking incredibly good this season. A few more players should be back as well such as Brad Dwyer which will help. Hopefully, we may have Richie Myler back after being out for a few weeks. I think everyone at the Rhinos will be glad to see him return to the field and bring some flair and leadership.

OLIVER LIMON

Another tough day at the furnace. Not as bad as some of the ‘doom merchants’ predicted, although, a 26-0 home defeat should never be acceptable.

With an 8-0 half-time scoreline, theoretically we were still in the game yet Leeds never really posed an attacking threat. And the 56th-minute try from an interception was another cruel twist of fate; Leeds’ heads went down and it looked like the floodgates would open. Saints, however, finished in cruise control. The ‘Golden Generation’ has spoiled the Rhinos’ fanbase with trophies and success.

This level of expectation was sustained with the Challenge cup win in 2020. However, with no trophy to play for this season, the growing concern is the level of performance, leadership, defensive frailties and blunted attack. The measure of how far we have fallen may well be in a few weeks in the game against fellow cellar-dwellers Toulouse.

If we are not careful, this season will just slide away. I genuinely hope Gary Hetherington’s shopping list includes a player who can galvanise this team; a new coach isn’t enough to turn our beloved club’s fortunes around.

JOSH MORROW

I can appreciate Jamie Jones-Buchanan’s comments about the effort put into the game but all it does is show just how far our great club has fallen in the last few years.

When effort and getting nilled at home to St Helens is seen as an improvement on the last few performances, they have a long, long way to go to get out of this mess.

One positive for me was the energy that Jarrod O’Connor and Muizz Mustapha bring to the team from the bench, especially the latter with the side desperate to get some front-rowers back from the physio room.

For every positive there were two or three negatives, the main one being the lack of any creativity and kicking possession away with ‘nothing kicks’ that killed any momentum that was built up.

The free week next week is huge for the team to get lots of hard work in before they face a dangerous-looking Huddersfield side.

Hopefully, by then a few players will be back as this season is not lost yet but it’s going to take a lot to get back up the table.

KHYA GOTT

The game last Friday was another disappointing match in a long list of disappointments.

I was desperate for something to happen and, at the end of the first half, there was so much pressure we should have crossed the line.

I’m coming from a factual point of view this week to describe my frustration. Every team in the Super League, except Leeds, has won a game at home this season.

Friday’s game was the second one this season where a team has been nilled, the other being when Catalans beat Wigan 28-0 in France.

The only thing stopping us being bottom of the table is that Toulouse have conceded more points. Every other team has amassed more than 100 points through tries and goals, except us.

Some said it was an improvement, but how can our seventh loss in eight games be an improvement? How can being nilled be an improvement?

I’m now conflicted: is it good we don’t have a game for a while so Jamie Jones-Buchanan has time to fix this? But at least we avoid humiliation for a bit.

IAIN SHARP

Casual observers to the Leeds Rhinos social media accounts after Friday night’s drubbing against St Helens may have been lulled by the epithet of an “improved performance”.

For those of us who witnessed it first hand, it was clearly some strange meaning of the word ‘improved’ that most of us aren’t familiar with.

A scoreless defeat at home can never be acceptable and, based on elements of the performance at times, Leeds were lucky to reach nil!

St Helens were missing several first-choice regulars and rarely needed to get out of second gear against a Leeds side displaying its habitual problems of a toothless attack and stunning naivety when having to defend. Another marker for how well coached Saints are can be seen in the way they exploit the rules to their full potential, especially when conceding the ‘six again’ klaxon on the first tackle, thus allowing their defensive lines to regroup, something Leeds wouldn’t have a clue how to execute at the moment.

The good news is that Leeds won’t get beaten this coming weekend as we’re not playing!

Hopefully, it will allow some time to lick wounds, regroup and get some sort of organisation together in time for the Maundy Thursday game against Huddersfield.

KENDLE HARDISTY

It was an “improved performance” against St Helens according to the social media team last Friday.

If we think getting nilled at home is “improved”, we completely deserve to be where we are in the league.

At 8-0, you felt if we had got the next try we might have gained some confidence but once Liam Sutcliffe threw a no-look pass to Tommy Makinson, you knew it was done.

Saying that, we didn’t look like scoring in any of our attacks anyway. Makes you wonder what Sean Long has brought to the team ...

The only positive from Friday was we didn’t receive a card of any colour, for only the second time this season. We’re in desperate need of an experienced coach to get these players ticking.

We have a week off, being out of the Challenge Cup, before we play Huddersfield Giants and the time with a new coach could completely swing our season.

I have no idea who we should bring in or what is needed but the players seem to possess no confidence or willingness to win at the moment.

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