Leeds Rhinos star makes Man of Steel comment and explains upturn in form

Leeds Rhinos star and current Man of Steel leader Jake Connor is looking forward to a tough test against Hull KR this weekend, and says the way the Rhinos are currently playing complements his style of play. 

Connor joined the Rhinos at the start of the season, and has four tries and 20 try assists to his name. 

Speaking to the Rhinos’ club website this week, he said he expects a tough challenge when they face Hull KR on Sunday. 

He said: “It’s one we’ve been looking forward to since we played them at home in that game that we narrowly lost. It’s always a good game against them. They’re the form team of the comp. It’s going to be a good game.” 

The Rhinos led 14-6 in the home game against the Rovers, but collapsed in the final 15 minutes. The Robins capitalised and stole the victory in the final minutes. 

“We did a lot of good stuff in that game,” Connor said: “We’ll probably highlight a few things from that game this week that did well in and caused them a few problems, so we’ll have a look at that.” 

Is Jake Connor the signing of the season?

Many questioned the signing of Connor when it happened, but it is safe to say the former England international is proving everybody wrong. His form has seen him climb to top of the Man of Steel leaderboard, however he only has his teammates to thank for that. 

He said: “I can only get them points if the team is doing well and if the players around you are doing good stuff. They keep doing that and I’m just going off the back of them.” 

After a poor showing away at St Helens, Connor and Leeds responded well last week, as they scored 48 points to see off Leigh Leopards. The halfback said there are still things to work on, but it bodes well that they responded in that manner. 

He said: “It’s a bit refreshing after the loss against Saints, gave us a bit of a kick up the backside and we fixed a few things. Obviously, we’re not happy with parts of the defence, but the game was a bit mad in that sense.” 

Connor has had a turbulent last couple of years, with his final years at Hull FC before a return to Huddersfield not working out the way he would have liked. 

However, this season has been a revelation for Connor with the 30-year-old praising his current teammates, and added how the way that Brad Arthur has got Leeds playing suits him well. 

He said: “The way the team has been playing, it complements me and how I play. When you’ve got Kal [Watkins] outside you, sometimes you’ve got to just give him the ball and he will do the rest. I like the style we’re playing and it keeps me in the game.”