'It's hard': Leeds Rhinos boss explains 'cruel' selection decision as video ref change clarified
Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur has explained a difficult selection decision while a change to the video referee system during the Las Vegas win over Hull KR has been clarified.
Arthur’s side which won 58-6 at Allegiant Stadium showed two changes to the one from a 46-14 victory against York Knights eight days earlier. As expected, captain Ash Handley returned from injury at centre and Chris Hankinson moved to the bench with Jeremiah Mata’utia dropping out.
But a surprise saw 21-year-old rookie forward Ben Littlewood called up among the substitutes to replace second-rower Ethan O’Neill who had played in this season’s three previous competitive fixtures. O’Neill was 18th man and Arthur said: “We have got a good squad, it is hard to make some of those decisions.
“I just thought Ben can play middle and back-row, just give me a little bit more [versatility] and we had Chris Hankinson there who can play anywhere on the field. We probably needed that front-row rotation coverage. In saying that, I only made two changes 60 minutes into the game. I thought our middles were outstanding. It is unfortunate for Ethan because he has been playing so well, but sometimes coaches’ decisions are going to be cruel.”
Meanwhile, on several occasions during the game referee Jack Smith gave an on-field signal of ‘try’ before handing over to his video assistant Tom Grant. From this year, only incidents where a referee believes it is ‘no try’ are referred to the video official. When the referee reckons a try has been scored, he awards the touchdown and it is reviewed automatically by the video official, working from a base in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
However, the television broadcast of the Vegas triple-header was produced by Australia’s Fox network, rather than Betfred Super League’s usual partner Sky Sports, forcing a one-off change. RFL referees boss Phil Bentham told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “The video refs can only operate live review with access to tech at Wilmslow. The video referee was in Vegas as it was a Fox production.”
The Yorkshire Evening Post’s coverage of Leeds Rhinos in Las Vegas is in association with Betfred Super League. Saturday’s showdown between Rhinos and Hull KR at Allegiant Stadium is an early highlight of a packed year of club rugby league action which also includes the Challenge Cup final at Wembley on May 30, Magic Weekend’s blockbuster return to Everton FC’s Hill Dickinson Stadium on July 4-5 and the Super League Grand Final on October 3 at Old Trafford. Experience live Super League. League Hits Different. To guarantee your place, visit Super League | Tickets.