Agar The Oracle

How coach has turned around Rhino’s after Bulls humiliation

- Gareth Walker

When Leeds trudged off the field after being humiliated by Championship Bradford in May last year, they could hardly have been further from Challenge Cup glory.

Richard Agar had been in caretaker charge of the Rhinos for a matter of days when they crashed to a 24-22 defeat, amid heading towards a relegation battle in Super League.

Fast forward 17 months, and having preserved their top-flight status with Agar in permanent charge, Leeds have won a 14th Challenge Cup and are firmly in this year’s top-four race.

Luke Gale’s 75th-minute drop goal sealed a compelling final against a Salford team that played their full part, justifying the scrum-half ’s capture from Castleford, the appointment of Agar and a host of other crunch decisions made at Headingley.