Leeds coach Richard Agar reflects on “really tough day” following defeat to Saints

Leeds coach Richard Agar says it was a “really tough day” at the office for his side as they went down to a 48-0 defeat to St Helens on Sunday.

Agar was forced to shuffle his side after losing James Donaldson, Konrad Hurrell, Richie Myler and Robert Lui to injuries sustained in the win over Huddersfield and they never really got going as they were nilled at home for the first time for 28 years.

The Rhinos also lost second-rower Alex Mellor with a knee injury but Agar refused to use the disruption as an excuse for his side’s below-par performance.

Agar said: “We had some strike power missing but at same time I thought we had a team that certainly could do better than that scoreline.

“It was a really tough day. We were disappointed with the way we turned the ball over early doors, and you then throw in some penalties and a couple of poor decisions with ball.

“We let in a couple of soft tries, interjected with some pretty good effort, but we weren’t able to sustain that effort.

“I am going to tip my hat to them, they defended really well but I’m disappointed with the way we finished the game. We got really soft towards the end.

“I think at moment they’ve set the standard from last year. They are absolutely the benchmark.

“While they were a little bit off where they expected to be before break, they’ve certainly returned in pretty good shape.”

Listen to The Final Hooter podcast, featuring exclusive interviews, every week. SUBSCRIBE to Love Rugby League on Apple Podcasts.