For the sixth time this season, the Leeds Rhinos suffered defeat yesterday this time in the Challenge Cup as the Rhinos were dumped out of the competition thanks to a 40-16 defeat to Castleford.
Leeds were blown away in the first half and trailed 28-0 at halftime. It was a difficult first 40 to watch for Leeds fans and were greeted with boos at the break. It showed the desperate need for things to change at Headingley with silverware not an option in 2022 whilst a relegation battle seems highly likely especially given the current trajectory.
After the game, Jamie Jones-Buchanan noted the problems that need fixing at his beloved club having taken charge of his first game as interim boss. He identified the “habitual” and “cultural” problems at the club as well as the need to put players “under the blow torch” so they’re “comfortable being uncomfortable.”
The big thing he noted was accountability and the need for leaders turning back the clock and speaking about how key Kevin Sinfield was to Leeds’ golden generation due to his leadership and ability to maintain standards.
“The honeymoon period is done we’ve got to start putting heat on them, more accountability,” Buchanan said of the current squad, “Me and Kev Sinfield have been best mates forever but we had a personal and professional relationships so if I didn’t do my job on the pitch he was ruthless, he’d tell you. He was preserving the environment and at the same time I understood why he was doing it so I didn’t stick up my chest.”
It could be said that Sinfield was never replaced with no halfbacks brought into the club until 2018 three years after Sinfield’s rugby league retirement. It now seems they’re in need for that kind of leader so that the star-studded squad at Headingley can truly reach its potential.
When asked how you make new leaders like that, Buchanan identified one young player who may have it in his blood: “Nature, nurture. His son [Jack Sinfield] is here, he’s the carbon copy in his image. Maybe it’s going to be someone like him who becomes that next leader because he cares that much about the club, his identity, his teammates.”
So, could Jack Sinfield, like his father, be the key to Leeds’ way forward in the years to come much like his father oversaw a change in direction after years of untapped potential in the early 2000s? Or perhaps it’ll be someone like Harry Newman, or current captain Kruise Leeming or maybe it’ll be down to the new coach Leeds bring in.
