Sinfield set for immediate exit

Leeds Rhinos Director of Rugby Kevin Sinfield OBE will complete his role at the club with the Rhinos clash against Warrington Wolves at Emerald Headingley this Sunday.

Sinfield returned to the Rhinos in July 2018 to take up the newly created position as Director of Rugby. He spent his entire playing career at the Rhinos which spanned a golden period in the club’s history from his debut in 1997 through to his final game at the Grand Final in 2015. He captained the club from 2003 and he won seven Grand Finals, two Challenge Cups, three World Club Challenges and three League Leaders Shields in his time in blue and amber.

Having worked with Head Coach Richard Agar to complete the new signings of James Bentley and Aidan Sezer along with the resigning of forward Matt Prior, Sinfield has agreed with Chief Executive Gary Hetherington that he will depart his role at the club.

Commenting on the decision Sinfield said, “From the first day I arrived back at the club, I said my only aim was to leave the club in a better position than I found it in. Over the last three and half years we have worked tirelessly to reshape our squad under the constraints of the salary cap, we have rewarded our young talent, we have attracted quality players to the club and most importantly we have installed a culture that I am confident we will reap the rewards for in the years ahead.

“When I speak about Leeds Rhinos, it will always be ‘we and us’ that I refer to. Having spent virtually my entire adult life here just because I will be doing a different day job does not mean that will ever change. We have got some exciting projects coming up in the city over the next few years that I will be part of and I will be back at Emerald Headingley whenever my commitments permit. Everyone at the club knows I am on the end of the phone and will offer my help and support whenever it is needed. I am confident this group of players can go on and achieve even more success for this great club both in the short and long term and I wish everyone all the best,” added Sinfield.

Leeds Rhinos Chief Executive Gary Hetherington added, “On behalf of everyone connected to Leeds Rhinos, I would like to thank Kevin for his outstanding service to the club especially since his return in the role as Director of Rugby. His record as a player is unsurpassed and some may have thought it was a risk for him to return however he answered the call and has steered us through an unprecedented tough period, both on and off the pitch, with great leadership. As we hopefully head towards a return to normality and with our squad being finalised for next season, after discussions with Kevin, we agreed that this was an opportune time for him to move on. We wish him all the best for his new challenge with Leicester Tigers and know that he will always be welcome back at Emerald Headingley.”