Ace Cameron Smith gives both coaches reasons to be positive after Leeds Rhinos win at Wakefield Trinity

Trinity led by 16 points twice, but were stunned by Leeds’ fightback, led by Smith after he joined the action off the substitutes’ bench midway through the first half. He provided the final pass to Brodie Croft for Leeds’ first try, scored a fine solo effort and made a vital tackle to shove Trinity’s Cam Scott into touch just short of the line when Rhinos trailed by four points with 20 minutes left.

The 27-year-old forward is in his testimonial season with Leeds, but will join Trinity when his contract expires this autumn, so Trinity boss Powell had mixed feelings about his game-changing effort. He described Smith as “the defining player” and said: “I thought he was exceptional. He is a high-quality player and we signed him for a reason. He was the guy who won the game for them.”

Leeds coach Arthur was equally impressed. He stated: “He was very, very good when he came on. I thought our bench when they came on helped us in getting a bit back. Cameron’s foot speed and his late feet at the line caused them a bit of grief.”

Arthur hailed Smith’s try-saver on Scott as “unbelievable” and “the most important play of the game”. He added: “It was a massive moment. He came on and changed the contest of our attack, but he did a tremendous job to stop that try in the corner. It wasn’t long before that we had a try disallowed when they made a great tackle in the corner. They are a great side as well.”