LEIGH LEOPARDS owner Derek Beaumont is known for his outspoken nature within the rugby league world.
But, when the IMG provisional scores were announced last month, the Leigh man didn’t take to social media after his club were given a score of 12.45.
That score saw the Leopards sit in 12th in a provisional Super League table. But, whilst Leigh would remain in the top flight, newly-promoted London Broncos would not.
The score given to the capital club saw them ranked 24th from 35 professional sides and Beaumont addressed the elephant in the room on Leigh’s YouTube channel.
“The big issue in my mind that it immediately portrays is talking about London coming in around the 20th on points, where basically there’s absolutely nothing that they can do that sees them in Super League (in 2025). Knowing that before you start a campaign, I think that’s an issue,” Beaumont said.
“I think that’s also probably blindsided them because of where they were so to have finished in the play-offs was remarkable.
“Then to have won them, I think Mike (Eccles – London head coach) did an outstanding job. It’s great to see that success but I just feel that it’s very awkward for us a sport to have a team in there that basically has no real purpose.
“So you could argue, and it’s not a criticism by the club, that London have nothing to play for coming into the competition. So Salford might as well sell everybody anyway, because their score, per se, even if they finish bottom, will still see them as part of the 12.
“I’m not really sure how that sits, so there’s some tweaking in and around that. but the actual idea of it, driving standards up and things, is obviously something I support.
“Getting to Leigh, the one part I didn’t support on the voting was catchment area, I don’t believe anybody should be graded anything that they can’t control in any walk of life. I think that needs rewarding.”
Click here to purchase a digital edition of League Express.
Click here to purchase an online edition of League Express through pocketmags.com.
Click here to listen to our new League Express Podcast.
League Express is widely available from local newsagents across the north of England.
