Brad Arthur delivers scathing Leeds verdict as Rhinos dubbed ‘arrogant’ after St Helens loss

Aaron Bower
Brad Arthur

Brad Arthur delivered a stern response on Friday after defeat.

Leeds Rhinos coach Brad Arthur pulled no punches after watching his side slip to a disappointing defeat at St Helens on Friday: slamming their attitude before Jon Wilkin labelled them ‘arrogant’.

The Rhinos were some way from the standards they have set so far in 2025, with the Saints scoring three tries to Leeds’ one to run out deserved victors.

The gap between the two sides is just two points, with the defeat Leeds’ first in six games.

And Arthur did not hold back in his criticism of his troops after the game, telling Sky Sports: “We didn’t do the simple things right and that’s a reflection of your attitude.

“We took the game too lightly, they had a great attitude and they really turned up.”

Arthur continued: “It’s a good kick up the backside and we need to respond to it. 80 minutes can be cruel but it’s what you do to respond that matters. Maybe we thought we’re going better than we are so we need to get back to the simple things and our response is going to be a priority now.

“It’s an easy fix. We need to do that next week.”

But the criticism of Leeds didn’t stop there, with Sky Sports’ Jon Wilkin calling Leeds’ performance ‘arrogant’.

“It was an arrogant and over-confident performance from Leeds,” he said. “They disrespected possession, gave Saints possession and Brad Arthur will be fuming at that. Leeds didn’t turn up in the mental space to play that game.”

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