And they were rewarded with a magnificent rearguard display by the unfancied Tykes, as they inflicted Bath’s first-ever defeat in a knock-out cup final.

Gordon Ross stole the show for the Tykes with 10 points from the boot and a commanding all-round display in the 20-12 win.

Smith has long since trumpeted the importance of rugby players from both the union and league codes learning from each other, and this manifested itself earlier in the year when he agreed to hold a series of joint training sessions for the Rhinos and the England union squad.

The Tykes’ superb win clearly delighted Smith.

“It’s fantastic,” Smith said. “It’s a great day for the city and great for our sister club. I thought they really deserved it.”

The Australian coach was clearly impressed with the defence of Phil Davies’ men, who absorbed wave after wave of Bath attacks in the latter stages of the game.

It was an especially impressive performance by the Tykes, considering they lost their captain Iain Balshaw with a thigh injury after just four minutes, followed by experienced centre Phil Christophers midway through the first half.

Smith paid tribute to the Tykes’ defensive effort.

“They defended awesomely and I think that’s what really set up their win,” he said.

“They played some good attacking stuff as well – particularly in the first half, I thought.”

Smith, whose Rhinos team are currently riding high at the top of the Super League, expects the experience of watching a final played out in front of 60,000 people to have whetted the appetite of some his players to achieve similar success in the league code.

The current world club champions are no strangers to success, but Smith feels that the whole Twickenham experience can only have had a positive effect on his squad.

“The whole experience of a big game like that is just fantastic,” Smith said. “Some of my guys have been involved in big games like that and it reminds them what it’s like to be on the edge of it.

“To see what it’s like reminds them of the feeling you get, and they’re pretty sure that they want to be involved in some of those sort of games in rugby league as well.”

Smith believes the support his players provided for the Tykes will further strengthen the bond that exists between the two rugby codes in the city of Leeds, and he clearly enjoyed the day.

“The whole squad came down to get behind them and we’ve had a fantastic day and I’m really delighted for the Tykes,” Smith said.