The Leeds Rhinos head coach has been under increasing pressure for weeks, but after defeat to Hull FC, his days appeared numbered.
Leeds Rhinos have officially hit rock bottom, and with it, Rohan Smith's time at Headingley is surely up. In a season of insipid, uninspiring performances, the Rhinos sank to new depths as they lost to Hull FC, a side that had lost their last eleven matches before this.
The same issues reared their heads again, most notably a rudderless attacking performance in which Leeds looked like an utterly disorganised mess. Despite being gifted plenty of opportunities by a Hull side that has shipped points by the bucketload this year, they rarely looked like scoring.Chants of "We want Rohan out," "You're getting sacked in the morning," and "Rohan Smith, get out of our club," were audiable from the away end for most of the game.
If that proves to be the case, Smith will pay the price for being unable to get a talented team firing. He's faced plenty of obstacles since his arrival and did a remarkable job getting them to a Grand Final in his first year, while his second season saw him suffer due to salary cap issues. But this squad is very much his now; he has been allowed to spend considerable money, but they look no closer to competing for silverware than they did last year.
It's not all Smith's fault, by the way. At its core, this is a Leeds team that lacks character and the ability to overcome adversity. But such is the nature of sport, it's the coach that goes, not the players. There are far too many players not performing anywhere near well enough.
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