Brad Arthur slams ‘unprofessional’ Leeds as Rhinos coach attacks ‘egos’ in strong post-match outburst
Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur speaks to the media following a game in 2026
Leeds Rhinos head coach Brad Arthur branded his side’s performance against Hull FC as ‘unprofessional’, and detailed that they need to ‘put their egos away’ after a previously red-hot start to the season.
The Headingley outfit had lost just one of their opening four Super League fixtures heading into their round five clash at the MKM, and came to West Hull as heavy favourites to make it four from five, but ultimately fell to a 24-16 defeat come the full-time hooter.
This is the second successive defeat the Rhinos have suffered as well, following their disappointing 24-14 defeat to Wakefield Trinity in the Challenge Cup.
‘We need to put our egos away and get back to hard work’
Across the game, Leeds were second-best. After taking an early lead through the boot of Jake Connor, the Rhinos quickly found themselves 14-2 down. They did eventually come back into and took a 16-14 lead into the sheds, but they were kept scoreless in the second-half as Hull eventually hit back with 10 points of their own to take the spoils.
“They rattled us and we lacked composure in the big moments,” Arthur told Sky Sports. “Credit to them, they came out and flustered us but maybe we’re not as good as we think we are and we need a good reality check.
“We needed to make sure we got them in a bit of flow after half-time, stay patient and stay disciplined but we didn’t do any of that.”
While the result will certainly disappoint Arthur, the manner in which the defeat came will leave him scratching his head. Leeds were plagued with sloppy, uncharacteristic errors throughout the second-half, while their ill-discipline also cost them both territory and points.
“It’s not good enough,” the head coach said of his side’s discipline. “I won’t be accepting it in this team and this club; it’s unprofessional.
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“I’m not going to worry about it today, but we’ll be addressing it during the week. It’s a costly loss, and we need to learn from it. It’s hard to get something out of it, but hopefully it’s a good reality check.
“It’s a reality check. We need to put our egos away and get back to hard work.”
Leeds return to action next weekend with a clash against the unbeaten Warrington Wolves at Headingley Stadium, before facing Bradford Bulls, Huddersfield Giants and Catalans Dragons in April.
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