Leeds Rhinos’ Brad Arthur makes ambitious Jake Connor claim after issuing challenge

Connor joined Rhinos from today’s opponents Huddersfield Giants in pre-season and has proved one of Super League’s top signings over the opening seven rounds of the campaign.

Only St Helens’ Jack Welsby – with 12 – has more than Connor’s 10 try assists and the Leeds full-back/stand-off is second on the Man of Steel leaderboard, behind Hull FC’s Herman Ese’ese.

Connor played five times for England in 2018 and earned three Great Britain caps the following year. Asked by the media this week if he could force his way into contention for the 2025 Ashes based on his current form, the Leeds coach insisted: “That’s a long way away, Jake’s focus right now is about walking off the field pretty confident and happy with the way he has played.

“He is focusing on making sure he backs that up each week and if he does enough of that by the end of the season, why couldn’t he? But at this stage, it’s the furthest thing from his mind and our mind.”

Arthur stressed: “It is about him being able to replicate what he is doing each week, because every time he does it teams will start to have more of a target on him and will come up with more defensive plans to stop him. If he can keep at it and keep nullifying those, he might put himself in the frame, but it is too far away to be thinking about at the moment.”

Brad Arthur assesses Jake Connor progress with Leeds Rhinos

Connor’s creativity has captured the headlines, but Arthur is more impressed with other aspects of his game.

“He has been good,” he added. “All that stuff you guys [the media] talk about is great, but I am enjoying the style of footy he is trying to play for us where it’s all centred and focussed around his defensive efforts first and where we are finishing our sets.

“That’s probably providing him with an opportunity and spring boarding him into games, to be able to come up with the confidence to pull the trigger and make those plays and execute them at the right time.

“I think it’s his mindset to some of the effort areas and the different approach to his game which is allowing him the confidence to back himself to play the way he is.”

But Arthur warned Connor still has work to do. “I have challenged him to stay in that mindset and not get ahead of himself and not get excited,” he stated.

“Every game is a new game and every half’s a new half. He might kill it in the first half, but he can’t go back out there in the second half and think it is just going to happen.

“He has got to start again and work at it and build it. He has shown some good patience and composure at doing that and he is reaping the rewards and so are we as a team.”