Rohan Smith reveals “correspondence” with RFL over ruck speed as he suggests fans are frustrated by it

A lot has been made about ruck speed in Super League this year.

From Phil Clarke accusing St Helens of “effectively cheating” with regards to the speed of the ruck to former referee Richard Silverwood describing the lying on in the ruck as a “delay tactic.”

On Thursday night, Jake Trueman spot lighted the issue with his yellow card as Hull FC beat Wigan Warriors which prompted coach Tony Smith to say that other tackles in the league are slow to allow the player up.

Now his nephew, Leeds Rhinos coach Rohan Smith, has spoken about the rick speed.

He revealed that he has had correspondence with the RFL over ruck speed as he emphasised the belief that fans are frustrated by the decisions.

He said:

“You can’t help but notice the crowd. I was asking about the speed of the ruck in pre-season games and the reports back on the ruck, the markers and the 10 metres were trending in the right direction and that has been confirmed in other correspondence that I have had.”

Asked if Leeds should start laying on a bit more, Smith said:

“I think our player understand momentum well. We don’t always feel the need to hold down when they have earned the right to play the ball if we can still present a defensive line.

“We will see what happens at the coaches’ meeting this week.”