Harrison Hansen believes the Championship is as tough as Super League.
The Leigh forward has been impressed by what he has seen of the second-tier since making his move to the Centurions at the start of the season, with last weekend’s Summer Bash showcasing the talents of all 12 teams to a national audience.
He played his part in Saturday’s fantastic game between Leigh and Bradford at the Summer Bash, with Micky Higham’s late winner maintaining their 14 game unbeaten streak in the league.
Although Leigh have dominated the division once again, currently hosting a three-point cushion over second-placed London, Hansen insists it hasn’t been a walk in the park and the no-nonsense approach of many teams make it as demanding as the top tier.
“The standard is tough,” Hansen told TotalRL.
“I’d go as far as saying it is as tough as Super League. The difference with Super League is that there is a lot of structure and stuff like that, but in this league everyone is running hard and playing off the cuff. It’s just as hard and I’m really enjoying it.”
Hansen’s decision to drop from Super League raised eyebrows, with many expecting the former Wigan star to remain in Super League.
However, the 30-year-old insists he is pleased with the decision he made at the end of last season.
“To drop from Super League to Championship was a big step for me,” Hansen admitted.
“But I’m really enjoying it. The boys have made me feel welcome and I’m enjoying my rugby at the minute, hopefully we can push on now for Super League.
“It’s good fun, we’ve got a good bunch of lads here and we’re building for the Middle 8s. We’re looking to play in more big games like that to set us up for the Super League teams. We’re working towards that and we’re going in the right direction.”
