Leeds Rhinos boss Rohan Smith reacts to chastening defeat as he gives verdict on debutants

The Rhinos were overpowered by the revitalised Wolves from the start on the opening night at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Leeds found themselves 30-0 down at the break, leaving them in damage limitation mode in the second half.

The visitors marginally improved but Smith admits they have work to do after a repeat of their recent performance in a friendly at Hull KR.

"We clearly started a little slow on the physical stakes," said the Rhinos boss.

"They got on the front foot quite early and the class of the opposition spine capitalised on the momentum their big guys got. It's always hard chasing your tail.

"We started a bit slow in our last pre-season match and in this game as well. That's something to think about.

"It's round one. It's important for sure and we're all very disappointed in the performance. You can read too much into it.

"We'll dust off, sort some issues out on Saturday and move forward."

Smith fielded four Super League debutants in round one in the absence of several influential figures, including Mikolaj Oledzki and Harry Newman.

Derrell Olpherts and Justin Sangare marked the occasion with tries but there was little else to shout about for the Rhinos.

"I thought Olpherts was very good overall – classy finish, carried the ball well in yardage and good energy and body language," said Smith. "He looked like he was loving wearing that jersey.

"I thought Luis Roberts did a pretty good job as a kid. We're missing some strike and seasoned players there but that kid has done a tremendous job through the pre-season. I've got a lot of belief in him and he's going to grow with our team.

"Sam will be better for the hit-out. I thought his second shift was pretty good. He got a taste of how the English game is and he did okay.

"Big Justin did alright. He put in a good shift. He's not used to playing big minutes but I think he played 25 or 28 minutes there.

"It wasn't an individual thing today; it was the collective efforts of each other and putting them together."