Rohan Smith on Rhinos identity, influence of Daniel Anderson and rise of the career coach | Rugby League News

« This will be a Rhino identity not a Rohan Smith identity »; Smith talks the process of reshaping the Rhinos, his coaching philosophy and where he learnt his trade; The Rhinos are next in action on Friday against the Warrington Wolves, live on Sky Sports Arena at 8pm

Rohan Smith caught up with Sky Sports’ Jamie Jones-Buchanan to discuss his vision for the Leeds Rhinos, his coaching philosophy and ex-St Helens head coach Daniel Anderson’s influence on his career.

After taking over the Rhinos just over a month ago on a three-and-a-half-year contract, Smith has been working with the Headingley club to forge a plan of how one of Super League’s most dominant clubs can reclaim it’s position as a title contender.

The struggles of Leeds this season have been laid bare and, for Smith, his first task is to re-establish the team’s purpose when they take the field and bring the Leeds community along with them.

« I think the cultural side of it, once you have got people in the building, it is creating an environment where people can be themselves, where they can enjoy their experience and they are coming in each day to contribute to something bigger than themselves, I think that gets lost sometimes in professional sport, » said Smith.

« They get stressed and they forget why they are playing, They are playing it to have fun, to represent your family and to represent your area.

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Former Super League player Jon Wilkin says Rohan Smith is a ‘novice’ in head coach terms, but will bring plenty of experience from different clubs to the job at Leeds.

« Whether you are born in that area or recruited to that area, you are representing the people in that area and it is something bigger than yourself and that is what has always gravitated me towards sport, that sense of you can share it with so many people.

« I speak to players about how I treat each player as if they were my son, how would I want my son to be treated and you have got to discipline your son sometimes and tell them some hard facts or truths but treating them like they’re my son is something I believe strongly in.

« Hopefully we are starting to see glimpses of a different way of doing things on the field but the bigger picture is that happy people and good people are usually good players too.

« So a blend of all those things is what I believe in and the influence of coaches over the years shapes you as you are and this will be a Rhino identity – not a Rohan Smith identity. »

Whilst the focus so far this season has been on performance over results, the 40-year-old is confident that, at full fitness, he can get create a playing style in collaboration with his players that can ultimately compete with those at the top of the table.

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Highlights of the match between Salford Red Devils and Leeds Rhinos in the Super League.

« We have got a bunch of experienced players through our spine when they are all back and all playing together, » he said.

« There is a lot of experience there that can create direction and a lot of good running players in our spine too and I love to see hookers taking the line on.

« We have got a lot of speed out wide and a lot of opportunity there . Then we have got some who love crashing into people and breaking some tackles so a blend of all of those things.

« The players need to own it and feel like it is theirs and not the coaches, so that is the process we are going through at the moment of adapting and evolving what is already in place but it being the Rhino way going forward.

« What we are trying to generate is season after season competing at the top end.

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« To win a trophy a lot of things have to go your way but to put yourself in a position where you are at Base Camp and you can try and finish it off that is the aim year on year. »

Whilst Smith did not have a top-level professional career as a player, like other Super League coaches Matty Peet and Kristian Woolf, he notes that this is definitely not a hindrance to success, with some of his biggest influences also being career coaches from the NRL.

Indeed, it is ex-St Helens head coach Daniel Anderson who Smith cites as the biggest influence on his coaching style from working as his video analyst at the New Zealand Warriors.

Whilst with St Helens from 2005-2008, Daniel Anderson won three successive Challenge Cups, one Grand Final, a World Club challenge and was named the BBC Coach of the Year for 2006.

« As an individual I have got a growth mindset and I am always trying to learn and better myself, » said Smith.

« I wasn’t an elite player so I have had to find a different way of becoming a coach through experience of coaching and learning from other great coaches.

« I am a sports fan in general so seeing different sports teams throughout the world create legacies.

« Obviously rugby league has a different way of creating a legacy, the creation of legacy comes from development within, seeing your academy players progressing to the first team and recruitment is part of it to compliment those fellas.

« But the clubs I have enjoyed the most and learned the most have been through coaching and development people that have very much focused on growth from within the club.

« Daniel Anderson has a great eye for talent but then can bring out the best in individuals and their skills and connect that together to play well as a team and that was really my grounding as a coach under Ando.

« Outside of my dad, Daniel Anderson has probably had the biggest influence on me and he has never played NRL and Trent Robinson has been the other biggest influence on me and he played a few games in the NRL and even though he was around it for a long time he wasn’t a high-profile player. »

With three years of rebuilding alongside Smith to go, the Leeds Rhinos certainly know they have got someone who is committed to their cause.

« It is huge and it means everything to me to contribute to something that means so much to the City. »

Catch the Leeds Rhinos in action away at the Warrington Wolves this Friday, live on Sky Sports Arena at 8pm.