Leeds Rhinos’ ‘secret weapon’ shares inside story on success and head coach aspirations

The man behind Leeds Rhinos’ defensive successes in 2025 insists there are still more levels for Brad Arthur’s side to go through: and admits he has aspirations of following in Arthur’s footsteps one day.

At the midway stage of the Super League season, only Hull KR have conceded fewer points than the Rhinos. It is a remarkable turnaround from this time 12 months ago which has played a major part in Leeds sitting third in the table.

Former Bradford and Great Britain forward Jamie Langley arrived in the off-season following a three-year stint with Sale Sharks. Tasked with overhauling Leeds’ defensive structures, he is quickly earning a reputation as a future head coach and a man with great promise in the sport.

The 41-year-old has made no secret of his desire to one day become a head coach: potentially with the Rhinos depending on Arthur’s own plans.

But for now, he insists he is enjoying being part of a Leeds group whom, in his own words, have ‘levels and levels’ left in them as they look to establish themselves back among Super League’s elite.

“It’s all down to the players, really,” he tells Love Rugby League. “It’s down to their attitude and mentality. Defence is all about mentality but similarly, defences win you championships.

“We’ve had to overhaul all our systems and all our metrics in the off-season and it’s been a steep learning curve for the boys from day one in pre-season.

“We’ve demanded a lot more from the boys in terms of the expectations around our defence but they’ve bought in magnificently. I’m really proud of their attitude and how they’ve bought in.

“We’ve got levels and levels to grow into as well. There’s lots of ceiling space. There’s times we’ve felt like we’ve been in third gear and we’ve got gears to shift through. If you compare us to the teams who’ve been together for three or four years, we’re still building that cohesion.”

Leeds could have been even higher in the league had they not surrendered late advantages against Warrington and Hull KR. But Langley insists those narrow losses have played a part in building the steel in the Rhinos that has been shown in recent weeks, as they went unbeaten in May.

He says: “We wouldn’t be the team we are now in this moment if we hadn’t had the losses against Saints in the Challenge Cup, Warrington away and Hull KR at home, when we were in a strong position but found ways to lose them.

“We’d shut down as a team, whether that’s a belief thing and they weren’t used to being in those positions, I don’t know. But look at us now.

“Castleford, it’s nip and tuck at half-time, it’s 7-0 but we found a way to win that quite convincingly. We came from behind to win against Hull FC and we had to find a way to hold on against Wakefield.

“All areas contribute to others and defence is one part of the puzzle but the defence really is a massive stride this playing group has taken forward. But we are far from the finished article, trust me on that.”

Langley’s time away from the game saw him become an integral part of Sale’s success under Alex Sanderson. To some, that period away from league may have hindered his chances of a head coaching position or a successful career back in league.

But Langley believes it is quite the opposite.

“I was grateful for my experience in rugby union and I wanted to try my hand and experience a new sport. I had to learn from scratch, and the Premiership is one of the toughest comps in world sport. It’s high performance every single week but I always found myself looking back to league.

“I’ve worked with some elite players and coaches in rugby union. British and Irish Lions internationals, players who have been in the England camp for years. There’s so much intelligence there that I’ve been able to tap into.

“I felt like the time was right to come back though and Leeds is one of the great clubs in our game. It was a very easy opportunity to say yes to and the people here are fantastic.”

Leeds’ own short and long-term coaching plan remains unclear. Arthur may yet stay for another season in 2026, which could lead to Langley having an extended apprenticeship under the Australian.

Could he see himself as a future head coach?

“I’ve made no secret of the fact that I’d love to have the opportunity to run a program one day and become an elite head coach,” he admits. “That is my dream. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I’d like to think whenever that opportunity may come, I believe I will be ready for it.

“But in the short-term there is a long way for this group to go and that really excites me, working under BA. He’s done an unbelievable job and stabilised the culture around the club.

“It’s a great place to be and long may that continue.”