'I had a lot of belief': Rohan Smith not surprised by Leeds Rhinos' run to Super League semi-finals

The Rhinos were second bottom when the Australian was appointed in April but produced an inspired run of form to claim fifth spot and are now only 80 minutes from Old Trafford after beating Catalans Dragons in a bad-tempered play-off eliminator.

"I had a lot of belief in the group," said Smith.

"I knew a bunch of players and had done enough homework. I thought they'd done a lot of good work early in the season but for whatever reason it didn't stick.

"We had a few injuries and suspensions. When you start the season a bit slow, you can lose confidence quickly.

"But we got the ball rolling and we're in a good spot now. It's something everyone wants to be playing for."

The Rhinos rattled their hosts in Perpignan, leading to referee James Child issuing four cards to Catalans players including a red for Gil Dudson.

Hull FC-bound Liam Sutcliffe was the hero with a hat-trick and Smith felt Leeds were good value for the 20-10 win.

"I thought we were very controlled," he said. "We controlled the majority of the game despite what the scoreboard said."

Leeds must wait to discover their semi-final opponents, although they know they must beat St Helens or Wigan Warriors to reach a first Grand Final since 2017.

A Huddersfield win tomorrow will send the Rhinos to Saints, while a Salford victory sets up a clash with Wigan.

"We've got a tough road to go through," added Smith.

"I don't have a clue who we're going to play next week but either way it's going to be real tough.

"We'll dust ourselves off, play another fresh team and see how we go."