There is simply no way you can sugarcoat Leeds Rhinos' last two results. Defeats to Castleford Tigers and Wakefield Trinity, teams no other Super League sides have lost to this season, are embarrassing.
But then to some extent, they aren't a surprise. Leeds' erratic season has left everyone questioning what they'll dish up one week to the next and if there was a side 'capable' of losing to the two bottom teams back-to-back, most would say Leeds were the most likely. And yet on the flip side, they're the most likely to pull a win out of nowhere. The same group of players have also conjured up wins at St Helens and Wigan, as well as a victory over Catalans.
But that is the exact issue with the team. Delve into their season and there is a recurring theme and that is an inability to handle expectations. When Leeds have been expected to win, they haven't. Hull FC at home? Lost. A trip to winless Castleford? Lost. Winnable games at Leigh and Hull KR and at home to Salford? Poor performances. Magic Weekend against Castleford? Another reverse. And then Wakefield.
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The Rhinos have no divine right to win any game they play in but when there has been a fair level of expectation, in the fixtures when supporters are expecting a win rather than hoping for one, they have not played well and they have lost. In contrast, their best performances have all come in games where they were the underdogs. That's not a bad trait but it also highlights the issue.
It's easy to turn up and have a crack away at the newly-crowned World Club Champions or when Catalans turn up at Headingley having won their first five games of the season. It's easy to start swinging when you're down on the scoreboard and down to twelve men at Wigan. Even in narrow defeats to both Wigan and St Helens, they've shown up well.
Is it a coincidence? There's too much evidence now to suggest it's not, that there's a more deep-rooted issue that needs resolving and resolving sharpish. Take the Wakefield defeat as an example. Which of those Leeds Rhinos players looked to step up and take the game by the scruff of the neck? Who tried to make something happen when Leeds needed a moment of magic? Blake Austin can probably put his hand up and say he did that, although by the end he was trying too hard which resulted in more errors and more problems.
But too often it feels like too many players are waiting for someone else to make it happen, for the person next to them to get them out of trouble. Too many wanting to be led but not wanting to lead. And in fairness, you expect a little bit of that given the youthful nature of the team. Individuals are developing on all fronts and that includes leadership qualities too.
But there are several established players, international players no less, in this team. There are individuals with experience under their belts who need to step up but too often when the Rhinos need people to take the game by the scruff of the neck, it doesn't happen.
Rohan Smith has rarely criticised his players and their performances publicly but now feels like the time when some need to be handed some home truths. Smith appears to be a staunch defender of his players but, privately at least, some should be worried about what Smith has to say to them. Within the four walls, he can't play good cop at this point. Leeds play another team below them, Huddersfield Giants, next. They will be expected to win. If they don't, the play-offs look very unlikely. There is expectation and there is pressure. They must manage it better.
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