Leeds Rhinos coach Rohan Smith has backed his squad to deal with the pressure surrounding their must-win game with Castleford Tigers. Defeat in Perpignan on Monday evening to Catalans means Leeds face their West Yorkshire rivals on Saturday knowing the winner qualifies for the Super League play-offs.
The loser's season will be over, but having been up against it for nearly two months in their bid to make the top six, with only a run of six consecutive wins hauling them into contention, Smith knows his side can deal with the hype of a do-or-die game when it matters most.
“It is another level up because you know it is your last chance to get the result but, to a point, we’ve been playing with that pressure for weeks," he said. "We have won six in a row before the Catalans game so we have been playing on the edge for months so there is no need for us to crank it up too much. Our aim will be to try to have a more polished performance come Saturday.”
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Leeds' six-game winning run game to an end at the hands of Catalans on Monday. Had they won that, they would have secured a play-off place and even been in contention to finish in the top four, such is the congested nature of the Super League table.
But Smith insisted that had they been offered this position, with one game to decide their fate in the play-offs, while they were languishing at the bottom end of Super League, they would have happily taken it.
“I keep being asked about the league table but it is safe to say, now it is not even worth looking at the table as everyone knows what is at stake, it’s us and Castleford, winner takes all," he said. "It is great for the competition and we are excited to have that opportunity to do it. A few weeks, back if someone told us we were playing for a play off spot in Round 27 at home, we would have jumped all over that.”
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