Leeds coach Rohan Smith has called on his side to find consistency in their game by making their starts to matches better than at present.
The Rhinos came from being 13-4 down at half-time to win 18-17 against Huddersfield in the final game of Rivals Round on Sunday, wrapping up Rivals Round.
Huddersfield took a 10-0 lead after just seven minutes at Headingley thanks to tries from Jermaine McGillvary and Chris McQueen.
The Rhinos took the lead for the first time in the 68th minute and held on for the win despite the Giants throwing the kitchen sink at them in the dying embers.
Speaking after the game, Smith said: “We’ve been down in most games at half-time, but our second halves have been particularly good since the back end of last season and they’ve had to be.
“It’s a good sign to be able to come from behind but we need to get the start of the game attended to also. We need to work out if there’s something specific. But I thought we started with good intent and there were a lot of things we can’t control in that first period.”
Rohan Smith praises Rhinos resilience
Already 10-0 down, Leeds were dealt a further blow in the opening stages when Richie Myler was sin-binned for a high tackle on McGillvary.
But going a man down seemed to spur the Rhinos on, with Ash Handley going over to reduce the deficit at half-time.
They then went on to take the lead in the second half thanks to tries from Rhyse Martin and Cameron Smith.
Smith added: “We have found energy on both occasions when we’ve had 12 men this year, and we did well during that period. It was a turning point and we certainly found another level of energy.
“We’re good at bouncing back because we know we have to. It’s a case of finding it when you’re really under the pump.
“We were tired but you are going to be tired at the back end of high-quality games, and we found enough.”
The win sees the Rhinos move to seventh in the Super League table, having won four from their first eight games of the 2023 campaign.
Next up for Leeds is a home game against the struggling Hull FC on Friday night.
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