COACH Brad Arthur admitted his Leeds Rhinos “let ourselves down” as their much-anticipated showdown with Wigan Warriors turned into a horror show.
Leeds were torn to shreds by their rival for the League Leaders’ Shield, which is likely now out of the Rhinos’ grasp despite leading the way for most of the season.
After the 8-40 defeat at a sold-out but ultimately disappointed AMT Headingley, Arthur said: “We didn’t put our best foot forward tonight.
“It was a big occasion for the club. It’s not through effort, but we let ourselves and the club down tonight.
“We were just outplayed. Their defensive pressure and scramble was really good.
“When there were only eight points in it at the start of the second half, we had a couple of opportunities that we’ve been scoring. But either we didn’t get the last pass or they held us up.
“Maybe if we got one of those we might have been able to fight back into the contest.”
Leeds lost star fullback Lachlan Miller to injury just seven minutes into the game in what proved a key blow.
“We think he’s torn his hamstring, but we’ll wait for the scans to confirm that,” said Arthur.
“It’s hard to replace a player of his quality, and it’s hard to replace a fullback because they’re so integral to your defensive organisation and how you return the ball.
“We were a bit disjointed from it, but we’ve still got to be more resilient.
“It’s unfortunate for Lachie because he played with a fracture in his eye socket. We were hopeful to get him through this week then have next week off.”