Jamie Jones-Buchanan has hope that Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur will agree to stick around at Headingley beyond the end of the season.
Arthur is contracted for the remainder of the 2025 Super League season and at present, it remains undecided who will be coaching the Rhinos next year. With Leeds sitting third following their 48-30 win over Leigh Leopards on Friday night, supporters will be keen to see the Australian stick around to build on the progress he has made over the last 12 months.
However, Arthur has made no secret of his desire to return Down Under at some point in the not too distant future, with his family remaining based on the other side of the world. As such, he has been linked to a number of jobs in and around the NRL, but his next step remains up in air.
Asked whether the head coach would be signing a new deal, though, incoming Rhinos CEO Jones-Buchanan told Sky Sports on Friday night: “I hope so.
“Brad Arthur has always said that he has an appetite to go back to the NRL and coach in the best competition.
“But it looks to me like he is getting more and more fond of this experience, coaching in front of this crowd and getting results like that. Who knows?”
Leeds Rhinos boss relaxed despite defensive lapses
The comments came after Rhinos’ bounced back to winning ways against the Leopards and moved to within just two points of second placed Wigan Warriors, who take on Castleford Tigers this evening. Leeds conceded 30 points in the game, though, with some sloppy defence on show from Arthur’s side, who have been so tight at the back in previous weeks.
Despite that, the head coach was surprisingly relaxed after the contest when speaking to the media.
“He’s an intelligent guy with lots of wisdom there, he’ll probably be thinking he’s a seen a little bit of everything from Leeds this year, maybe even a few near 80 minute performances, which is what he talks a lot about,” Jones-Buchanan added.
“He’s probably got the confidence in himself and the coaching staff there to stitch that all together in what time they’ve got left.
“The fans love him, he’s done a great job.”
Pundit Jon Wilkin added on Arthur’s positivity: “You’ve only got so many emotional bullets you can fire in a season. I think he fired one last week and he’ll be very conscious about firing another one this week and it losing his impact.
“He knows he’s got a win against a very good Leigh team and I think going in brutal to his team might be the wrong timing. Just caress them through this period and know you’ve got one of those bullets lined up for later on down the track.”
What a game! These two haven’t met for over a year, we can’t wait for the next one already, 14 tries in total and incredible skill! The Rhinos are back in third spot
FULL TIME
Rhinos 48 – 30 Leopards
🤝 In partnership #Anchor #ButtertheFoodButtertheMood pic.twitter.com/iLDkfQ4FZs— Leeds Rhinos (@leedsrhinos) June 27, 2025
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