Leeds boss Rohan Smith pays tribute to Jamie Jones-Buchanan

New Leeds head coach Rohan Smith has paid tribute to interim boss Jamie Jones-Buchanan following the Australian’s arrival in England.

Smith, 40, has flown over to begin his new role at Headingley Stadium on a three-and-a-half-year deal.

He will take his first full training session on Thursday, with his side currently enjoying two wins on the bounce in Super League.

The former Bradford boss paid tribute to interim head coach Jones-Buchanan, who has been in charge since the resignation of Richard Agar earlier in March.

Jones-Buchanan, 40, has been in charge for six games at Leeds, including wins over Toulouse and Hull KR and a draw against Huddersfield.

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When asked about the job Jones-Buchanan has done, Smith replied: “It shows a lot about him as a character and an emerging coach as well. It’s early days for his coaching career but what a test and opportunity that the’s had. 

“From afar, it’s looked like a strong job. A tough gig for a youthful coach. But he has such great energy and passion for the club and lots of great ideas and values on life.

“You can see that the team have been playing well together through some adversity and got a couple of strong results on the back of six weeks of work.

“It’s been good connecting with Jamie and chatting through some stuff. But I’ve also given him that freedom that he’s been running the show.

“He’s just been keeping me in the loop a little bit and trying to educate me on what they’ve been working on and how he’s trying to lead the group.”

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