Richard Agar says he took the emotional decision to step down as head coach of Leeds Rhinos because he felt he had taken the team as far as he could. The 50-year-old former Hull FC and Wakefield Trinity boss stepped into the breach, initially on an interim basis, in May 2019 following the sacking of Australian Dave Furner.
Agar steadied the ship and guided the Rhinos away from relegation danger in 2019 before winning his first major trophy as a head coach the following season with victory over Salford in the Challenge Cup final. After taking Leeds to the play-off semi-finals last term, the close-season acquisition of Blake Austin, Aidan Sezer, David Fusitu’a and James Bentley encouraged hopes of a genuine title challenge this year.
But Leeds have lost five of their opening six Super League games, prompting Agar to throw in towel and leave chief executive Gary Hetherington searching for a new man. Agar said: “I felt that after three years the helm, it has been three pretty attritional years.
