Leeds appoint Arthur as head coach

Brad Arthur won 137 of his 264 games as Parramatta coach

Leeds Rhinos have appointed Brad Arthur as their new head coach until the end of the season.

The 50-year-old Australian was sacked by NRL side Parramatta Eels in May.

The Rhinos parted company with Rohan Smith last month following a run of three defeats in four.

Arthur is en route to England and is hoping to be at Thursday's Super League away game against Warrington.

He will work alongside Scott Grix and Chev Walker, who have led the side to successive wins since taking interim charge.

The Headingley side are seventh in the table, two points off a play-off spot.

Arthur spent 10 years in charge of Parramatta and led them to the 2022 Grand Final but was sacked in May after they won just three of their first 10 games this season.

“I am pleased to be joining the Rhinos and can’t wait to get started," he told the club website.

"For me personally, this is a unique opportunity to grow as a coach. I join the club aiming to help raise standards and expectations without disrupting the cohesion that is within the group already."

Analysis - 'Not a shoo-in for long-term role'

BBC Sport's rugby league reporter Matt Newsum

The appointment of Brad Arthur makes a lot of sense for Leeds who need to get experienced coaching quality into the club to make the most of their opportunity for success in 2024.

Arthur has both credentials and a CV from coaching in Australia with the highlight his taking Parramatta to the Grand Final in 2022 and regularly delivering play-off football to a team that had faced challenges in that department.

Importantly, he was available immediately and that perhaps helped sway Ian Blease's thinking as director of rugby operations.

Leeds can crack on with Arthur at the helm, try to force their way into the play-offs and beyond, which is a realistic ambition, and the Australian can effectively prove his worth potentially for a longer-term position.

Interestingly Blease talks of "continuing the long-term vision" which certainly doesn't imply Arthur is a shoo-in for the gig beyond 2024 and could suggest that what might work for this season is not necessarily what is felt will be the option going forward.

However, a successful finish to the campaign - in the vein of Rohan Smith's 2022 appointment - would make it very difficult to look beyond Arthur for the role.