Williams scores two as Red Devils beat Leigh

Salford Red Devils comfortably defeated their Championship challengers Leigh Centurions today at the A J Bell Stadium, earning a 40-14 victory with Rhys Williams, who joined from London Broncos in the close-season, scoring two tries.

It was their second victory of the pre-season against Championship opposition.

The Red Devils fielded a strong side, with Tui Lolohea starting alongside Kevin Brown at halfback, and they took an early lead through a typical Joey Lussick try scored from dummy-half.

But the Centurions quickly responded with an almost identical score of their own, when Liam Hood got over the line, with both tries having been converted.

The Red Devils scored three more first-half tries through Williams, Ken Sio and James Greenwood to take a 22-6 half-time intervals, with Lolohea having added another two goal.

But the spirited Centurions fought back in the second half, with unconverted tried from Brad Holroyd and former Red Devil Junior Sa’u, both of which were unconverted, to reduce the deficit to eight points.

But the Red Devils responded when Williams scored his second, and they also added last tries by Josh Johnson and winger Ed Chamberlain, who missed almost the whole of the 2019 season with injury, to give them a comfortable victory in the end.

Their next pre-season game will be against Warrington Wolves on Thursday 23 January at the Halliwell Jones Stadium for Mike Cooper’s Testimonial game.

Leigh’s next game will be on the same evening against Wigan Warriors at the Leigh Sports Village.

Salford: T – Lussick (9), Williams (23, 63), Sio (34), Greenwood (39), Johnson (77), Chamberlain (80); G -Lolohea 3, Inu 3
Leigh: T – Hood (13) Holroyd (52), Sa’u (59); G – Reynolds

Scoring sequence: 6-0, 6-6, 12-6, 16-6, 22-6; 22-10, 22-14, 28-14, 34-14, 40-14

A report of this game and all the weekend’s pre-season games can be found in the new edition of League Express, out in the shops on Monday and online from 9.00pm on Sunday evening.