Leeds Rhinos icon makes ‘true colours’ demand as Jake Connor claim made

Leeds Rhinos Hall of Fame member Barrie McDermott has urged Brad Arthur’s men to show their true colours in Friday’s crunch Challenge Cup showdown at St Helens.

The Rhinos head to Merseyside for the fourth-round tie on the back of a dismal defeat at Catalans Dragons last weekend when they showed next to nothing as an attacking force.

Now they travel to Saints aiming to avoid being dumped out at just the second hurdle of this season’s competition.

With wins against struggling Salford Red Devils and Castleford Tigers to their name – coupled with losses to Wakefield Trinity and Catalans – nobody seems quite sure how good Arthur’s team can be in 2025.

Legendary former prop and current Sky Sports pundit McDermott told Love Rugby League: “There are a lot of things to like about Leeds – a toughness and a real desire to defend for one another.

“But they’re still sloppy with the ball and whether that’s due to personnel or the messages they’re getting, I think it’s still quite early to make those statements.

“But it’s not right. Jake Connor has come into the team and my initial reservations about him still stand.

“However, whilst he’s playing like he is, Connor is Leeds’ most dangerous player with the ball and looks their biggest threat. Therefore his role in the team, you could argue, needs to be bigger.”

Enigmatic playmaker Connor could move into the halves against Saints with Lachie Miller available again this week, especially with Matt Frawley absent after being forced off against Catalans with a head knock.

“It was only because Lachie Miller hasn’t been fit that Connor was called into the team at full-back,” added McDermott.

“But maybe a better role in attack – or a stronger role in attack – might give the Rhinos a little bit more threat. I’m not saying that’s the answer, but I’d certainly suggest it could be part of the solution.

“Leeds look a little bit predictable and it looks a bit Australian in its mentality – kick to corners, defend, compress, force errors and build pressure.

“That’s certainly a style that’s effective once you get it right, but if that’s the only thing you’ve got then you become predictable.

“I don’t think this team and this group of players have started to understand the strengths of one another yet.

“But it was a poor game against Catalans – uninspiring – and one where you think ‘they look like they don’t know what they’re doing’.”

“That won’t be the case, but when things break down and they look like they don’t know what they’re doing then you’re right to ask those questions.”

Leeds have not been crowned Super League champions since 2017 and their last piece of silverware was the Challenge Cup in 2020.

After successive eighth-placed finishes in the past two seasons, the Rhinos are under pressure to deliver a major improvement this year.

Assessing their start to the campaign, McDermott said: “If you’ve got anything about you, then those first four games were all winnable games and that’s the concern.

“Going to St Helens in the Challenge Cup, as a Rhinos player, is exciting and a chance to test yourself against a team who are always strong.

“It’s a hostile ground and people outside the Leeds camp will be predicting that it’s going to be an easy win for St Helens.

“If you can’t get fuelled by that and rise up to it then you’re not in the game for the right reasons. It’s a huge game and I’m really hoping Leeds Rhinos can show what they’re truly all about on Friday night.”

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