New Leeds boss Ian McGeechan keen to embrace Leeds Rhinos

John Bentley has hailed the appointment of Sir Ian McGeechan as being massive for the profile of Leeds Carnegie.
Bentley, selected by McGeechan for the epic Lions tour to South Africa in 1997, believes that the Leeds-born Scot is the ideal man to help his hometown team start to step out of the shadows of the Rhinos, the most-decorated team in modern-day Rugby League, in his new role as executive chairman.
But Bentley, the community marketing manager, insists McGeechan will do that by avoiding the mistakes of others and embrace both the codes that fall under the same umbrella of Leeds Rugby.
“He doesn’t perceive Rugby League as a threat,” said Bentley, who played professionally in both codes.
“But we’ve had coaches who’ve thought that previously and had an ‘us against them’ attitude. It is not like that at all. Geech will embrace what is good from the League side and learn from that.
“We are part of the same club but there is a tendency sometimes for the Rugby Union to be swallowed up in the shadow of the Rugby League. We all understand that because the Rhinos have become a phenomenal success, dominant within their sport in four of the last five years. But we’re not competing with the Rhinos.
“There are 130 clubs affiliated to the RFU in Yorkshire, 16 I could name in Leeds alone. But Rugby Union is very much a players’ game. We’ve got to get more of the people who play on a Saturday to watch us on  the Sunday.”On the appointment of McGeechan, Bentley added: “There isn’t anyone better suited for the role here because of his Yorkshire roots, the fact that he played at Headingley and the type of bloke that he is. His profile is massive worldwide.
“One of his phenomenal strengths is man management and the way he deals with individuals.”
While excited by the challenges of getting to grips with driving Leeds Carnegie back into the Premiership, McGeechan also admitted to  his delight at speaking with some of his Rugby League heroes.
The 65-year-old said: “I was a Rugby League fan before I was Rugby Union fan and it was great to see Lewis Jones (Leeds RL legend) earlier on to talk to him, and go through the Cup final in 1957, when I was there and we beat Barrow.
“In the last few decades I’ve taken a lot of advice from League coaches as the game went professional. I can’t wait to get a feel for some more of their ideas.”
McGeechan confirmed he will have a “hands-off” role on the playing side, serving only as a “sounding board” to Diccon Edwards and his team. One of his main goals will be to help Leeds continue to develop – and retain – good young talent.
Too many players have left for other clubs after being developed by Leeds, with current England internationals, Danny Care and Tom Palmer, two of them.
McGeechan commented: “I was schoolmaster for 20 years so I am used to looking at talent and working with youngsters.
“I developed the academy at Northampton, I was part of the development of the academy at Wasps and I also helped reposition the academy at Bath.
“At Leeds it is about how we bring that young talent through and how we continue to develop and manage them.
“I think it is important that you have got a strong talent base and that grows through. The best clubs do develop their own players.
“The academy has to integrate with the first team squad, you want it to be challenging and if we can continue to get that right then I think it augurs well for the future.”
JON NEWCOMBE