Ah Hetherington has said that the coaching team will be reviewed in 2019. So maybe not the strangest choice after all.

Source is journos via Twitter at the press conference.

The statement is quite confusing. The impression I get is that Sinfield is really head coach and Lowes is his assistant but if it all goes wrong Lowes will get the blame. Not sure how you can be director of rugby but ‘take charge’ of the game on Sunday. The fact that the announcement was all about Sinfield also suggests that. It’s either that or Sinfield does everything on the side of player selection, style of play, recruitment and Lowes just trains them. Either way I don’t get it and it’s a bizarre appointment. If I was a Leeds fan (although it’s great to see a legend back) I wouldn’t be particularly delighted, it comes across as the cheap option.

His role has ‘evolved’ from what I can gather.

He was brought in as full-time DoR to overhaul our rugby department, and oversee/take a lead on recruitment, ahead of 2016. Through a combination of pre-existing problems, bad luck, complacency and naivety (in no particular order), 2016 went very badly. In fairness to the guy, he immediately offered his resignation after we were relegated.

Since then he’s reverted to part time with us and Sheens seems to be the main man for rugby decisions. People have suggested Peacock is playing more of a role on the commercial side, but whatever he’s doing, his profile is much lower at Rovers than it was when he arrived with the initial fanfare.

Is the "Director of Rugby" title a way of getting round obtaining coaching badges which I suspect Sinfield hasn't got yet?

Got to take the "highs" with the lowes

Sinfield is a fantastic appointment, I expect Leeds to win Super League 2019.

Oh, the irony is exquisite.

Why do people think Sinfield has come cheap?

He's from Lancashire.

He has only been brought in as a stop gap untill Beep beep Burrows can cut his teeth with the juniors and progress on !

Watch out for a once great player shame himself again with hissy fits and threatening of fans etc

Nobody calls Burrow Beep Beep.

I get the impression that Sinfield’s job for next season is mainly focused on player recruitment, retention and the monitoring the performance of the team and coaches in a similar role to Radlinski at Wigan.

For the reminder of this year he is assuming the head coach role with Lowes taking on more responsibility until a new head coach is appointed.

I may be well off the mark though, that’s just how I interpreted what Hetherington said.

Think that’s spot on. Sinfield has stated before he didn’t want to be a coach so I doubt he’ll be doing it next season. Think he and Hetherington have reached a compromise where GH has giving Sinfield some of his role going forward but only if Sinfield compromised and helped getting us out of trouble for the remainder of this year. If we do manage to finish top 8 with no chance of playoffs then he probably won’t even be that involved post split I reckon and all eyes will be on 2019.

And the Challenge Cup

Surely Sinfield can’t be the coach (relevant coaching badge) hence why Lowes is the fall guy.