Rohan Smith addresses player bust-up following recent defeat

Josh McAllister
Harry Newman, Tom Holroyd, Rohan Smith.

Leeds boss Rohan Smith has addressed the bust-up reported after their recent defeat to Salford at Headingley Stadium.

Leeds Live reported that Harry Newman and Tom Holroyd had to be pulled apart by team-mates as the side fell to their sixth defeat of the season in the first 11 rounds.

Paul Rowley’s Red Devils impressed for a 22-12 victory, with Marc Sneyd kicking 10 of those points, alongside tries from Rhys Williams, Sam Stone and Ellis Longstaff. 

Head coach Smith acknowledged the post-match incident, stating that it was just a disagreement between his two players in what can happen in sport, but says the pair quickly moved on.

Rohan Smith addresses bust-up between Newman and Holroyd

Smith said: “These things happen from time to time, it’s not something that we condone or want to happen, but players get frustrated and they get disappointed and they’re both very passionate guys that want to do well and want the team to do well.

“They had a bit of a disagreement and that was left there and then and everyone’s moved on.

“Those guys have known each other and been mates for a long period of time, it was just one of those things that can happen in sport at times.

“There’s no shortage of passion and desire among the group and sometimes you just have to temper it a little bit.”

Leeds currently find themselves outside of the play-offs in eighth position, claiming just five wins from 11 so far in 2023.

They face Matt Peet’s Wigan on Friday, live on Sky Sports, who sit second and most recently fell to their third defeat of the season with a 14-10 scoreline against Hull.

“We know we need to improve,” Smith said.

“We need to play a bit better for a bit longer in most games. But, we’ve been in all the games which is a good starting point. It’s not where we want to be for sure.

“But we’ve been in and competing in every game and the majority of our games could have gone either way.

“We’re not that far away from getting more results. We’re still a way away from playing at the level we think we can, but we’re not far away from results.”

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