Every coach has a vision. Rohan Smith is no different. The Leeds Rhinos boss has ideologies on how rugby league should be played.
One of his big beliefs relates to the ruck. The wrestle of it, the speed of it. It's very clear that he doesn't like its current interpretation. You'll struggle to go a post-match press conference without the Australian referencing or, more accurately, bemoaning, the pace of the game and the speed around the ruck.
After the defeat to Castleford Tigers on Saturday, Smith declared it a 'flopathon'. He went on to state that last week's game against St Helens saw them flop on 48 times compared to Leeds' 14. Here's the issue. Leeds are seeing no benefit of trying to be cleaner than their counterparts. They aren't being rewarded on penalty counts or six-again restarts. Simply put, the way Smith wants the game to be officiated isn't the way it is being officiated.
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But that's a Leeds Rhinos and Rohan Smith problem. If he is frustrated by it week in, week out, you'd have to argue that it's a problem he and his team need to sort out, not everyone else.
Following his 'flopathon' comment I asked him if everyone else is getting away with it, why doesn't his side do it back? "To me it's not about that," he said. "We could stay in the ruck longer, certainly, we could do that. But you negate the good carry that you had or the momentum they generate. So how do you get that? You have to be persistent and stick with it for longer."
It doesn't really answer the question, does it?
I'm sure most people, from a spectacle point of view, share Smith's sentiments. The wrestling element of the game has changed the game considerably and many would argue not for the better. But that's the way it is. The key is to find a way to manipulate the rules, not hope they're implemented in the way you hope they would.
You could say Smith's stance is bordering on stubborn now because ultimately, the game isn't going to change for him. Returning to the drawing board might be the only option.
Leeds are four points adrift of the play-offs now but still have plenty of time to turn things around. At the same time, it's pretty evident something needs to change because the nature of Saturday's performance by comparison to a week earlier was alarmingly contrasting. That's Rohan Smith's issue to fix.
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