Brad Arthur reacts after defeat to Hull KR in first Leeds Rhinos game

Today marked Brad Arthur’s first game as head coach of Leeds Rhinos, and he saw his side slip to a 20-12 defeat at the hands of Hull KR.

The Rhinos lead twice in the game, but two late tries meant they tasted defeat to the side that may now feel they’re in pole position to take second place in the league.

Lachie Miller’s try, after a freak incident where the ball bounced off the crossbar, looked to have won the game until Jai Whitbread and Jez Litten’s tries gave Rovers the win.

Arthur, following the game, seemed positive despite defeat.

Asked his thoughts on the game by Sky Sports, he said: “Yeah look, I was really happy with the effort.

“A few things that we set out to do, although we did the majority of the game, but under a bit of fatigue and under a bit of pressure, we just lacked a little bit of detail at times.

“We worked hard in defence and it took a toll on us.”

He continued: “Yeah, just some new combinations from my part. I was really happy with the effort, but effort is not enough to win.

“We’re probably six minutes to go in a position where we should have won that game. So you might not have gotten the result then, but we just need to execute a few things a bit better against good teams to get the job done.

“We had a couple of sets of attacking control and now we’ve turned the ball over on one or two in the second half.”

Brad Arthur addresses Leeds Rhinos fans

“I’m really disappointed for the players and also the fans and our members that we didn’t get the results and we appreciate the support.

“They just have to not be patient because we’re not after patience, we’re after support. We just need them to keep supporting the team and we need to make sure that we continue to come with that attitude every week.”