Agree with all that. Plus points: Miller was great although his kick off out on the full killed us. Oledski looks the best prop in SL. Holroyd is getting back to match fitness and Sangare was solid especially in first stint.



Very frustrating we did so well to get into control of the game and then three it away with errors; but there’s next week.

Dont agree it was a big factor for the loss but it did seem a strange decision to have Edgell as sub.

We look 100% better side with Mik on the field

Look hot for the first half an hour, the rest was crap.



I really don’t get the love for Oledzki, just a big pudding. That game was crying out for an enforcer, and unfortunately only Bentley tries to be one.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. With any luck we'll actually have four true props in the 17 next week. Will do wonders for us.

The 1st half was as good as we have played under Smith. Players running on the ball at pace, winning the ruck and excellent line speed in defence leading to us dominating field position. Everything we have been crying out for

and what has been lacking in most other games this season and last. The ball was in play with few stoppages and we looked great. Credit to Saints, we could have been well in front by half time against most sides.

Unfortunately the 2nd half was more of what we have served up too often recently. Errors, followed by conceding territory too easily. We stopped doing all the things that were working in the 1st half.

That said there was a lot to like and I actually thought it was probably our best performance of the season, despite losing.

That’s what i was told, Smith says different in his presser so who knows

Im not sure what game you were watching, Oledski dominated every collision in attack and defence and we dropped when he went off.

Agreed but I would Credit Saints who basically came out and outplayed us.



There was some costly errors though.



As you said, I haven’t seen a rhinos team play like that first half for a long time, i do think we are going to give some teams a hiding, hopefully Cas at Easter. We’ve played all teams that were above us last year bar Wigan, not too concerned with

3 out of 5

Its going to take time to be able to play full games like the first half. Until it becomes second nature and just the way we play we will continue to lapse into bad habits.



Couple of things for me. We will make mistakes, all teams do, and cutting out utterly stupid ones will obviously help. But we need to react better when we make them. Secondly we really look too light up front due to the forward rotation we have. There are times when simple size and strength makes life easier for everyone. Coming out of defensive positions is one thing, but our lack of genuine threat from big forwards near the line makes it hard for us to break defences because they know they don't need to throw multiple defenders into the middle. They can keep well spread, which makes it difficult for the backs when facing a defensive line with all 13 players in it. Contrast with how teams have to defend against Walmsley and co

Hopefully Lisone coming back will help hes been a big miss for the last 3 games imo

The errors allowed/encouraged Saints to play though. Frawley out in the full was bad. Miller out on the full even worse, they scored off that next set. Newman drops it in good ball. Croft fails to collect their second drop out in a row and all the pressure we’ve built disappears.



Saints just didn’t make those kind of errors and we couldn’t live with the intensity for long enough tonight.

Agreed.

Smith likes a moan doesn't he?.

Being that good for first 30, makes the rest of it even more disappointing!

What did he moan about?



Didn’t Wellens get fined for moaning?

Yeah i agree but Saints defensive effort in the first half keot them in a position to take advantage of those errors, they ate clinical. They are also a settled side, we’ll get there

Think we need to be physically fitter to get to that level for longer. We looked tired in that second half, when should have been other way round considering how much Saints spent on D…..

Wish they'd play with more structure. We've done great talent and mixing the off the cuff stuff with structured attack would work wonders.



Saints simply came out harder and stronger than us for the start of the 2nd half. Need lisone and fusitua back ASAP. Would rather have olpherts on wing and Roberts on loan at wakey.

Said it was unsporting of Saints to withdraw Makinson so late

Walked in to the presser saying i'm not going to mention the ref

Saints are machine like, we’re not at that level yet.



Fortunately theres only them and Wigan who are.

So he didn’t moan then.

Not come onto to gloat but the comments about Oledski being the best prop in the league is a worry for you? He'll tackle and he did put a hit on Big Alex once. BUT going forward he's a pudding and runs out of gas? Would not swap him for young Delaney.

Best team won. Quite comfortable in the end though we were a good watch for some of it. Usual pros and cons though I was pleased with our discipline. I think we have the building blocks of a good side but might be at that stage where an uncle Tony is needed to replace a Daryl Powell because at the end of the day, for all its gloss, our attack isn't that effective. That said, saints would have beaten most sides last night.

Best first half we have seen under Smith, but we didn’t put enough points on the board and we only scored one try at home in the whole game. For all the flashy plays we see sometimes we don’t score enough points, let’s see how that goes against some of the weaker teams as we’ve played the better ones (bar Wigan) over the first rounds.



We need to be able to play structured attack as well as off the cuff, and we don’t seem to do the former very well at all. Look back to how Cas played when they finished top, their attack was devastating with Gale having lots of options to choose from all over the field. Of course they screwed up at the GF, but they were dynamite through the regular rounds. If we have aspirations of finishing in with a chance, we must start scoring more points, and when I look at the team sheet and how we play I’m not sure I can see where they are coming from.



In defence, I think we have improved loads, they scored one try out wide, one try due to a misread in defence and another from a kick that should have been diffused, but not really from open play other than Bennison. That’s because we have learned how to defend as a unit for periods, but we need to be able to play like that for longer.



We’re improving, but still have a long way to go to really threaten the top teams consistently. Can we do that under R/S, I don’t know but the next few weeks against some of the weaker teams in the comp will tell us a lot.