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Matthew Shaw

Leeds Rhinos' incredible attacking turnaround under Rohan Smith as told by stats

To label Leeds Rhinos' turnaround under Rohan Smith as remarkable would be a stretch but one seismic difference there for all to see is their attack. Before Smith's arrival, the Rhinos were the lowest scoring team in the competition, a grim fact for a squad boasting so much talent.

But things look so different now. Smith has only been in charge for seven but they have scored 196 points at an average of 28 points per game in that time.

To put some context on that, Wigan Warriors are currently the highest-scoring team over the course of the season. They have averaged 27.66 points per game. In summary, if Leeds had posted points all season at the rate they have under Smith, they'd be Super League's top scorers.

Read more: Rhyse Martin's tribute to Leeds Rhinos fans after penning new deal

It's an impressive fact that probably deserves more credit than it has received. Of course, Leeds were badly misfiring given the quality of players at their disposal, but for the turnaround to be so drastic is outstanding all the same.

Defensively the Rhinos remain shaky and that's definitely an area that needs to be fixed. They remain leaky and have conceded more than 20 points in four of Smith's games. But Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will the Rhinos.

The new 'flat and fast' approach ushered in by Smith has complimented the players at his disposal. Kruise Leeming has been exceptional with the freedom to run from the ruck. The wingers, Ash Handley and David Fusitu'a have been excellent in back play at getting the Rhinos on a roll and the space created for Liam Sutcliffe on the edges has seen him put his best foot forward. He has two tries and four assists in his last two games.

Even the halves, Blake Austin and Aidan Sezer, have shown up much better since Smith's arrival and in the pack, Mikolaj Oledzki has remained strong and Matt Prior much improved after a slow start to the season.

Defence and discipline, or a lack of it, will mean the Rhinos still come unstuck until they are fixed up too but it's fair to say that the Rhinos have sorted out one of their major issues in impressive fashion.

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