APB: Now then, the burning question from the website. Who is our no.1. flyhalf for this season? 

Lanny: A good question, a very good question. In terms of recruitment, we had to recruit in every area. There were players that were available in every area almost from minute one. And it was a question of sifting through and picking the right ones for the club. So this brought in character references – I mean I've got hundreds of videos, but that doesn't help much because lets face it I could find a video of ME playing well! So they don't mean too much. No it's character references from people like Diego, for example, or if it was a Scotsman I'd ring up Duncan Hodge or Stuart Reid for example. If it was a welshman, Phil would know them or Colin Stephens would find something out about them, so I go for character references first of all. The two positions for which there was a lack of players available were tighthead prop and flyhalf. Now there were certain flyhalves available who when we watched and when we spoke about, didn't really offer us that much I didn't think. So rather than jump in and make an offer to player that I thought was not really going to take us to the next level, we decided to wait and see. And also when we were relegated it was May, so a lot of the good players were contracted. Obviously one or two became available – I spoke to Dave Walder for example – but two things I would say about is that we've got to want the player and the player has to want to come to us. I didn't take it personally that Dave didn't want to come to us. He wants to play for England and he perceives rightly or wrongly that he has to play in the Premiership for that. And he's actually gone to a place where there are two other pretty good flyhalves actually! So that was one of that sort of quality. We also spoke to Seremia Bai who plays flyhalf for Fiji along with Jacob Rauluni, and Jacob was trying to convince Bai to come to Leeds and we were very close to getting him, but then a French side who don't have a salary cap came in and…. 

APB: … waving a big wad of cash? 

Lanny: Unbelievable! I mean they just blew us out of the water! And he then decided to go there. And then the other player in that category was the flyhalf for Samoa a guy called Loki Crichton. A quality player. Wasn't available till November through the NPC, and he again we went down the line with, but it was pretty clear that he was more likely to go to a Premiership side, so regardless of what we did or what we said it wouldn't make any difference. So its difficult, it is difficult. At the moment, Rich Vasey and Jonny Hepworth are training at 10 and as far as I'm concerned they're in pole position at the moment. But we are actively searching – there's no doubt we need an experienced 10. I think we might have got somewhere with one who knows the league well and is keen to come albeit on a loan period for us to see him as well as for him to see us. I'm not going to tell you any more because it might not come off. So just to reassure people that we are looking. I have to say Richard Vasey and Jonny Hepworth have been excellent, but they are unproven, and it would be a big big call for me to go a season with just those two. But by the same token I don't want to go the season with a journeyman – and there were lots of them about – who stands in the pocket and kicks the corners. We want to play a game that’s well balanced, and in order to do that you've got to have a flyhalf that threatens the line, not one that runs sideways or that sits so far back that no one can get to him and doesn't bring anyone on. All the flyhalves we looked at were either running sideways or pocket flyhalves. We want one that wants to challenge people and take people on, but who also has a good kicking game and a good percentage goal kicker as well. I'm a bit more relaxed about the goal kicking because Leigh Hinton has an unbelievable success rate. But also you can't go into a season with only one goal kicker. So, trying to find this player is challenging but not impossible, I'm not unduly concerned at the moment. I mean should September arise then we'll go with Jonny and Rich and see what happens but we'll keep looking because there's space in the squad for him, whoever he may be! 

APB: That leads nicely into the next question, are there any more recruitments to come? 

Lanny:You saw the announcement of Colin Noon today? So that completes the front row now – we've got three good hookers: Nilsen, Parks and Rawly. Second row wise, obviously Murph leaving was a big disappointment. As a person, a player, a talisman, a Yorkshireman and all those things wrapped up into one. And I had the same conversation with him as I did with Nathan Thomas, Roland de Marigny, Jordan Crane; it was a really really tough decision for him to make. But ultimately I went back to him and said "I only want players who want to be here 100%. Not 95%, not 90%, not 85%". Because everything's great when its sunny and everything, but I said "We've got to go down to Rotherham, Doncaster, Exeter, Cornish Pirates in the rain and the mud, and if your heart's not it in, it'll show, and it'll show in our team. And we're only as strong as our weakest link and if you're not really in for it, then you need to make a decision that's right for you and right for the club". And I think, knowing him as I do, it was a tough tough decision and one that he wrestled with but ultimately I think for him he's made the right decision. And he'll be supporting the club to the end, but it does leave us with a second row to find. So we are looking for a new second row. 

APB: He's going to have lots of fun in North 1 isn't he?! 

Lanny: Oh yes! Poor old North 1! Yeah, so in terms of second row we've got Kiernan Myall coming through who is undoubtedly talented, and we've got Hoops and Pablo, but we need another. And we're looking for a like-for-like replacement, you know, big, hard, aggressive second row. Not that easy to find I have to say, but there are one or two potentials out there and  we are negotiating, meeting with, speaking to, and chasing up references for them. So again, not massively concerned at the moment, but just to reassure people we are looking. And that would complete the squad. A flyhalf and a second row. Because then we've got 26/27 senior players so to speak, and all these young lads coming through beneath that, and you can call them first team players because I will be very surprised if people like Simon Worrall, Kiernan Myall, Danny Paul, Phil Nilsen if they don't come through and challenge mightily hard for a place in the starting fifteen. And that’s what the club and I want - to grow the team through the academy with people who want to play for Leeds for the right reasons and I think last year we didn't have that. Sam Wheeler talked to me about names and said to me "you haven't signed any names!", and I said "we signed names last year and look what happened!" Names mean nothing. 

APB: Someone posted on our site today with the opinion that you don't necessarily want to sign names. You want to sign people that want to make a name…. 

Lanny: Exactly! Sam's article talked about rejects, but I would call them hungry players. He can call them rejects, but I can guarantee that every player we've signed has not come here to just finish off their career and have a nice time in National 1, because if they did I'd boot them out straightaway and they'd be found out. Darren Edwards is a senior player no doubt. Jacob Rauluni is a senior player in terms of age. But Darren is one of the fittest players in the squad, and Jacob IS the fittest player in the Fijian squad. So age is not relevant, its hunger and desire and wanting to play for the team and the club. Its given those new players the driver to play for Leeds. I think we've got fifteen to twenty players who if you cut them in half they'd be blue and yellow and white or whatever colours we are …. 

APB: Ah! Yes! The next question! 

Lanny: We're staying the same by the way – is that an issue for you? 

APB: Staying the same for this season is not an issue particularly, but what has been getting people's goats over the years – not just because of relegation incidentally – is that every year the kit is changed, and changed radically. So you can be walking down the street in your replica top, and it isn't instantly recognised as being a Leeds top. I've got four or five tops hanging up in the cupboard at home, all radically different. 

Lanny: Its funny I mentioned it isn't it? I instantly went to blue, yellow and white because that's what I perceive to be Leeds' colours. I take your point and I agree. I think people have an identity with the shirt and the colours and the team, like the way the Rhinos are, the way that  Leicester are and the way that Bath are. And I agree with you completely. Its not something I've had an influence on up to now, but things like that I'll start to have an influence on because I think its important, and helps to build a culture for the fans.  

APB: Interestingly we also did have a comment – I think it’s a voice in the wind but I'll put the question – about having an identity that separates us off from the Rhinos. And I kind of think that you want to have a Leeds Rugby look to it so its similar but identifiably different if you know what I mean. 

Lanny: People talk to me about the Rhinos as if I'm jealous or as if we're their poor neighbours but I don’t see it that way. I'm proud of the Rhinos I really am. I think Leeds Rugby have got  a unique opportunity to develop a world class Rugby Union and Rugby League side. We've got a bit of work to do at the moment, but then the Rhinos had a bit of work to do four or five years ago. Tony Smith and I have always had a fantastic relationship, and we are bringing the clubs closer together. For example, why have different policies for the Tykes and the Rhinos? We should have the same culture and values. It always struck me as odd that England trained with the Rhinos but we never did…. 

APB: ..struck us as odd too to be brutally honest! 

Lanny: …so we're actually training with the Rhinos next week. Just as a warm-up. And then we'll go our separate ways. I went to speak to the Rhinos players last week and I said to them about the evolution of the Tykes, where we've come from, where we're going and how we want their support in getting us there. Obviously they've been more successful but I certainly don't look at them with jealousy, I look at them with pride, and I want us to develop up to the level they're at, and they're prepared to help us. People assume its one way; I think there are things we can help the Rhinos with, we've got the No. 1 academy in the country and we're beginning to produce players and so on. By the same token, Tony Smith came to speak to the Tykes players and said "listen, we want to work together". Its as strong as I've known it at the moment. So we're slightly different to the Rhinos, but the Leeds Rugby colours are the same, aren't they? 

APB: They are and I think we all as fans perceive them to be that in our heads in the same way you've reiterated, you know its blue, amber and a bit of white… 

Lanny: Whichever combination it is…. 

APB: … whichever way round it is, but its having that uniqueness, that identity that you can say "yeah, I know its different from last year's, but that's still recognisably our team", and I don't think we've had that for a while. 

Lanny: Yeah, I think I’d agree with you there. Our kit sponsors, Kukri, are fantastic I have to say, they are very very good. And one of the relationships I've been developing has been with them.  

APB: So is it Kukri's decision or…. 

Lanny: I don’t know, I'm not sure who makes those decisions to be honest. I think moving forward I'll have an influence, but the situation at the moment is something I've inherited.

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