Rohan Smith: New Leeds Rhinos head coach not planning to hire Tony Smith to staff
- Published
Rohan Smith's previous head coach role in England came with Bradford Bulls in 2016
Incoming Leeds Rhinos head coach Rohan Smith says he does not intend to bring his uncle Tony Smith on to his coaching staff.
Leeds announced the appointment of Rohan Smith on Wednesday.
Earlier the same day veteran coach Tony Smith had announced he would be leaving Hull KR at the end of the year.
"I'm looking forward to spending more time with him [Tony] but at this stage it's as an uncle and not as a colleague," the 40-year-old said.
He told BBC Radio Leeds: "I asked Tony if there was any reason not to try and pursue this job and he said 'no' and that I should go for it."
Tony Smith, 55, spent four seasons in charge of the Headingley side and guided them to two Grand Final successes before leaving to become Great Britain coach.
He went on to win three Challenge Cups with Warrington and surprisingly led Hull KR to within 80 minutes of reaching the Grand Final in 2021.
Smith disagrees with inexperienced tag
This will be Rohan Smith's first role as a Super League head coach, leading some to question if he lacks the experience for the role.
Leeds are just one point above bottom side Toulouse after a disastrous start to the season that has seen them win just one of nine matches, and previous head coach Richard Agar step down.
Smith, who is still unsure of when he will be able to come over from Australia, had a spell in charge of Bradford Bulls and has most recently been leading second tier side Norths Devils in his homeland.
"Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I'm in my fifth season with Norths Devils in the third best tier of rugby league in the world," he said.
"I've spent time working under some of the best coaches of our era, Daniel Anderson, my father (ex-Bradford and Wakefield coach Brian Smith) and Trent Robinson, who has been a huge influence on me.
"I'm in my 20th year of coaching and you can only get experience in a big job by being in a big job. I'm under no illusions about what the job entails."