'Good but not great': Leeds Rhinos boss says win v St Helens was 'step forward'

The coach said Leeds’ first home victory over Saints since 2017 was a “step forward” for his team as they won a tough game against good opposition without being at their best. Rhinos kept Saints scoreless in the second half after trailing 16-8 at the interval and Arthur told his post-match press conference: “I’m very pleased we got the result.”

He said: “I don’t think we were great, I think we were good, but we weren’t great. I think we learned some lessons and it was another step in the right direction for us with the growth of our team.

“In the first half we dominated a lot of field position and didn’t quite nail some big moments and a little bit of frustration crept in, in particular Jake [Connor]. He probably wasn’t as composed, but then we came in at half-time, everyone was nice and calm and we knew what we needed to do.

“In the second half we went out there and Jake iced some big moments for us, even though we got a couple wrong. We just had belief if we dominated field position we’d come away with the win.

“It doesn’t always need to be pretty and they are a tough team to play against, they frustrate you and they niggle, so I am definitely happy with the result. All the information around we haven’t beaten them the last eight times at home, the monkey’s off the back there. Just the manner of the way we went about the manner of the victory was pleasing.”

In captain Ash Handley’s 250th appearance for Leeds, they were level by the 50th minute, but missed chances to go ahead after that and Arthur admitted: “The game had the ability for us to get frustrated there - which it has in the past - and get out of control, but we didn’t. We went ‘right-oh, we’ll defend it and get back down there again’. That is a real growth in the team, to not be at our best and still get a good win against a very good side.”

The coach added: “It is good they trust each other, believe in each other and believe in what we are doing and what we want to be as a team. I thought, again, we were physically very, very good and our effort was outstanding. While you are making choices around that you will give yourself a pretty good chance in the contest.”

Assessing what impressed him the most about Leeds’ second half performance, after they had missed a host of chances and conceded three tries in the first, Arthur stated: “Probably the composure in our players, not to lose their heads and take their frustration out on the opposition or the ref or each other. I thought our composure was good which then led to having more concentration in defence and it also helps with the execution. That was probably the pleasing thing for me in the second half.”