Congratulations to Tony Smith on reaching his 500th Super League match as a coach when Hull KR visit Toulouse today (Easter Monday).
Such a milestone must have seemed a very long way off at the end of the Australian’s first season at the helm of an English club in 2001.
His Huddersfield side were relegated on the final day as, despite beating London Broncos 28-24 at home, a 32-24 win for Wakefield at Salford condemned them to the drop.
It was a huge blow for Huddersfield, but both club and coach held their nerve and remained committed to each other, and there was an immediate return to the top flight as Northern Ford Premiership champions in 2002.
While the Giants have remained in Super League ever since, and seem to be on the up under Ian Watson, Smith has gone on to coach Leeds Rhinos, Great Britain, England, Warrington and now Hull KR.
He won two titles, including Leeds’ first in 32 years, as well as the World Club Challenge at Headingley, and two League Leaders’ Shields and three Challenge Cups, including the club’s first in 35 years, with Warrington.
Last year, Smith guided Hull KR to within 80 minutes of the Grand Final.
And it’s a nice twist that his current club will meet his first Super League employers as a coach in the second of the two Challenge Cup semi-finals at Elland Road, Leeds on Saturday, May 7.
Rovers, meanwhile, claimed the city bragging rights by beating visitors Hull 16-4 in the first derby of the season on Good Friday, their fourth straight win in all competitions.
It was great to see a sell-out 10,300 turn-out at a raucous Craven Park, the third-highest of Super League’s ‘rivals round’ after 17,980 watched hosts St Helens beat Wigan 22-4, also on Friday, and 11,286 witnessed Leeds Rhinos’ 20-20 draw with Huddersfield at Headingley on Thursday.
And the home fans will have lapped up a performance that featured two tries and two goals from fullback Lachlan Coote and a stand-out performance from Rowan Milnes in the halves.
Things weren’t so bright for the Black and Whites, for whom fullback Jake Connor seemed off the pace, while neither Josh Reynolds nor Luke Gale fired on all cylinders.
Hull, who are at home to Warrington today and Catalans Dragons on Sunday (Rovers return from France to host Wakefield on Saturday), have lost three on the spin, including Challenge Cup elimination at Huddersfield.
And the pressure will be building on coach Brett Hodgson, especially given the form of their neighbours.
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