Holbrook Q&A: Soft tries, Regan Grace and stopping play

MC: Any further thoughts on Friday’s loss?

JH: It was definitely disappointing. Having had a few days to reflect and look at the video it was not as bad as I first thought.

We had a couple of chances, Tommy Makinson was over but could not plant the ball down, then the bounce on Theo Fages chest at half time. If you take those chances then you have a comfortable half time lead and you feel like it is a different game.

It was one of those nights that we did not take the chances we had done in other weeks and that put us in a tough position.

And then there was a couple of errors in the second half which Leeds converted as they do. In the end it was disappointing, but for things to not go your way and get beat by eight points, that’s not too bad.

Leeds are a good side that just hang in there. Joel Moon came up two special plays from nothing and it was two tries. They are a team that takes their chances.

MC: Post match you mentioned players ‘doing someone else’s job’, can you explain?

JH: It was just a case of them trying too hard. Some guys, like Wilko, started doing too many things and that threw us out a bit.

We had missed Wilko the week before, but this week he probably tried a bit too much along with a couple of other guys and that made our job more difficult. That is all I was being critical of there.

When we calm down a bit and simplify it we are a better team. We complicated it and Leeds did a good job against us.

MC: For a defence that has been so stingy, there were a couple of soft tries there?

JH: That is the learning curve of the week. We looked at ourselves after Warrington where we got in each other’s way with the ball so the focus was our attack. What happens? Our defence goes .. and in hindsight that is how I look at it.

Last week we tried too hard to perfect our attack and over played and we had a lapse of concentration in defence which meant we let some soft tries in which we hadn’t done in the five weeks prior.

MC: With regards to the Richie Myler try, should play have been stopped when Tommy Makinson went down?

JH: It is the first time since I have been here that the game hasn’t stopped.

I have seen opposition miss tackles and stay down.

To play on when Tommy was down was disappointing but we still should have been good enough to defend because it was not a miraculous play that they scored off.

As a team we are not about trick shots or short cuts that other teams use to get penalties or things go their way.

It is not an excuse but it is the first time I have seen 'play on' and it was costly.

MC: Morgan Knowles returns, how important is that?

JH: It will be brilliant to have him back, we have really missed him.

We worked really hard with him and Jon Wilkin in the off season sharing that role.

We started well with that formula and we have missed them both to have them both back we will be a much better side.

MC: You would not have wished for a ban, are there any shreds of positives in a four-week absence for a lad who had played a lot of back-to-back rugby?

JH: At such a young age he went to the World Cup, in the forward pack, and virtually carried that Wales team.

The four weeks have given him chance to get fitter and stronger given he did not have much of a pre-season.

MC: Al is a big loss – not just when he is on the field, but how it makes opposition teams wary of having to keep something back to deal with his arrival.

JH: That is exactly right. Al leaves a big hole.

He is the best front rower in the comp and if you are lucky to have him in your team then it is a huge advantage, and now we don’t we are relying on our squad to lift them a bit.

But we are still confident in those players that we have got that we should not miss a beat.

The main thing is that Al takes his time to get better. We want him back on the pitch as quick as he can, but only when it is safe for him to come back.

MC: Would you consider plugging that gap, short term?

JH: No we have young guys in Matty Lees and Jack Ashworth itching to get an opportunity so we are ok there.

MC: Looking at Hull KR, Danny McGuire always has a few tricks up his sleeve?

JH: He has been doing it for so long and it is a smart piece of recruitment from Hull KR to bring him into the team.

And when all else fails he has got a greta kicking game to keep you under the pump.

They have some dangerous players, but we need our players to play well. We did not do that Friday and let ourselves down.

MC: If you are going to get a jolt with a loss – is it not better coming now?

JH: I am not sure. I didn’t think we needed it – and I didn’t think we had an issue in keeping the players grounded. I don’t think we need to lose to keep improving but it has happened now and we will deal with it.

MC: Apart from Morgan Knowles, are you planning on changing anything else?

JH: The squad will stay the same. If you had asked me at the start of the year that you would win five out of six, would not need to make wholesale changes. We need to play better this week though.

MC: Obviously the two points on Friday is important, but do you have to give any consideration to Easter programme?

JH: None at all, honestly.

It is going to be a tough away trip on Friday. We have obviously slipped up at the weekend and so have to put all of our focus on this Friday and make sure we are ready to give our best effort at Hull KR.

MC: It was good to see Regan Grace get a run – why has he had limited opportunities to run with the ball so far this season?

JH: I am not sure – he’d have certainly got the ball earlier on in the game had we not been pulled back for obstruction.

It has not been a plan to not give him the ball, because you see what he can do when he gets it.

It has just been the way things have gone and tough conditions play a part. If we can get him more opportunities we would like to.

Regan Grace and Adam Swift are two different types of players. Swift is heavily involved in yardage and takes some tough carries, whereas Regan is more of a space player and you want him on the end of your shift plays.

We will hopefully get him more opportunities.