LEIGH LEOPARDS 28 HULL KR 10
STEPHEN IBBETSON, Leigh Sports Village, Saturday
HULL KR lost a second game in succession as brilliant Leigh comprehensively outplayed the Super League leaders to return to third place.
The Robins had lost just once all season before the previous week’s defeat to Leeds but must lick their wounds after a disjointed display in the absence of star man Mikey Lewis resulted in a first away loss.
Losing his halfback replacement, Danny Richardson, early on to injury didn’t help, and by the end they were well beaten as Leigh scored three unanswered tries, two by Josh Charnley.
Lachlan Lam was masterful for the Leopards who, after six unsuccessful attempts including three meetings in a row without scoring a point, beat Hull KR for the first time since Lam’s heroics in the 2023 Challenge Cup final.
They have also now beaten the division’s top two in successive weeks, after accounting for local rivals Wigan last time out.
Leigh took the lead inside eight minutes as Lam kicked high and crossfield for back-rower Ethan O’Neill to score, converted by Gareth O’Brien.
The league leaders struggled for early inroads and the loss of Richardson, recalled to the team as cover for head-injury victim Lewis, was hugely disruptive.
Jez Litten stepped in for a time – as later did Peta Hiku – while their sole remaining halfback, Tyrone May, produced a moment of magic to get them back in the game as an outrageous dummy fooled both O’Neill and Owen Trout to part the Leopards’ defence and open a route to the tryline.
Arthur Mourgue converted to level and a good Robins spell continued with Mourgue stopped on the line, James Batchelor held up and then Kelepi Tanginoa denied a try by the video referee after dotting down from an offside position off a Litten kick.
Leigh made the most of the reprieve and seized the initiative with back-to-back tries by Umyla Hanley, who boldly took on opposing centre Jack Broadbent and slipped past for an excellent score, and Keanan Brand.
Brand’s was a more scrappy affair, initially not given by referee Liam Moore. Video official Jack Smith watched O’Brien’s high kick be missed by Joe Burgess, bounce off the leg of Hanley, and then be knocked by the boot of Broadbent before Brand pounced for a legal try.
The only disappointment for Leigh was seeing O’Brien pull both conversion attempts wide of the near post, limiting them to a 14-6 half-time lead.
And within seven minutes of the restart, that advantage had been shaved to four as Kelepi Tanginoa surged into the corner when Bailey Hodgson fumbled a Litten kick.
Leigh’s response was sharp and brilliant. Tesi Niu made a powerful break from off his own line, galloping away from the defence and finding the support of his captain Lam to run in from halfway, goaled by O’Brien for 20-10.
And as the hour mark passed, Charnley dived into the corner, provided by Lam on the end of a flowing move. It was the winger’s 250th Super League try, and against the team he scored his first for on loan in 2010.
Just as the game looked like fizzling out, a flare-up between the sides led to Litten being sin-binned. Bizarrely, he wasn’t even on the field to receive the yellow card, having just been taken off for Michael McIlorum, who was promptly ordered back off again.
Both Litten and Tom Davies left the field bloodied, and the former failed an HIA.
With Hull KR’s hopes effectively ended, salt was rubbed into their wounds in the final seconds as Charnley raced onto a Lam chip for his second of a joyous day in Leigh.
GAMESTAR: Lachlan Lam was at the heart of everything for Leigh.
GAMEBREAKER: Lam’s try off a thrilling Tesi Niu break swung things decisively in favour of the Leopards.
HIGHLIGHT REEL: Tyrone May’s dummy for Hull KR’s first score was outrageous.
ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Lachlan Lam (Leigh)
2 pts Tesi Niu (Leigh)
1 pt Umyla Hanley (Leigh)
MATCHFACTS
LEOPARDS
24 Bailey Hodgson
18 Keanan Brand
3 Tesi Niu
4 Umyla Hanley
5 Josh Charnley
6 Gareth O’Brien
7 Lachlan Lam
8 Owen Trout
9 Edwin Ipape
32 Joe Ofahengaue
11 Frankie Halton
20 Ethan O’Neill
13 Isaac Liu
Subs (all used)
12 Jack Hughes
15 Alec Tuitavake
16 Matt Davis
22 Ben McNamara
18th man (not used)
21 Andy Badrock
Also in 21-man squad
17 Brad Dwyer
29 AJ Towse
31 Will Brough
Tries: O’Neill (8), Hanley (26), Brand (31), Lam (50), Charnley (63, 80)
Goals: O’Brien 2/5, McNamara 0/1
HULL KR
35 Arthur Mourgue
2 Tom Davies
3 Peta Hiku
18 Jack Broadbent
5 Joe Burgess
19 Danny Richardson
7 Tyrone May
8 Sauaso Sue
14 Michael McIlorum
10 Jared Waerea-Hargreaves
16 Jai Whitbread
12 James Batchelor
13 Elliot Minchella
Subs (all used)
9 Jez Litten
11 Dean Hadley
15 Sam Luckley
20 Kelepi Tanginoa
18th man (not used)
21 Jack Brown
Also in 21-man squad
17 Rhyse Martin
25 Bill Leyland
36 Noah Booth
Tries: May (19), Tanginoa (47)
Goals: Mourgue 1/2
Sin bin: Litten (70) – fighting
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-6, 10-6, 14-6; 14-10, 20-10, 24-10, 28-10
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Leopards: Lachlan Lam; Hull KR: Tom Davies
Penalty count: 3-2
Half-time: 14-6
Referee: Liam Moore
Attendance: 9,682