LEEDS RHINOS head coach Rohan Smith has often been critical of the way in which the ruck speed is policed in Super League.
In the aftermath of Leeds’ 26-24 loss to the Castleford Tigers at the Magic Weekend, Smith bemoaned what he labelled a “flop-a-thon”.
“Every team is trying to find a quick play the ball, when you’ve got two flops landing on plenty of plays, you can’t get a quick ruck and then everyone fights that little bit harder and that’s where those errors come from,” Smith said.
“It was a flop-a-thon. Last week, it was 40 to 18 that came from an independent source and I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t like that today.
“It’s not about that to me, we could stay in the ruck longer but it’s more you negate the good carry you had and the momentum. You have to be consistent and compete for longer and we didn’t do that today.”
Following those points, Smith was asked whether he has raised the issue with the RFL, to which he responded: “I raise some points from time to time, the referees they see it differently and they work on a different situation.
“At the coaches meeting last week there was a consensus amongst coaches that some things need tidying up but that is a work in progress and is out of our control.”
Following the loss to Castleford, Smith has reflected on what went wrong and how his side can improve going forward.
“We were in control of the game until a few things let us down and then we couldn’t recapture it. There has been some similar threads as in other games with unforced errors back to back.
“As I’ve said, it’s not always the errors you make but where they are and we made them in yardage.
“A lot goes into it because players want to create something from their possession. Whether they pass or carry they want to do something good for the team.
“For some it is over-trying and others it is a concentration and technical thing. People are different, some need to practice it, others need to visualise and some need both.”
However, it’s fair to say that the Rhinos players didn’t take those comments on board, going down 24-14 to Super League bottom side Wakefield Trinity on Sunday.
