Every fairytale must come to an end; Leigh Centurions’ love affair with the Challenge Cup in 2015 has finally drawn to a conclusion. Two Super League sides in Salford and Wakefield had fallen at the hands of the Championship leaders, but there was to be no upset here – despite giving Warrington an almighty scare along the way.
Leading 14-12 at half-time, it looked like Leigh were on course to become the first team from outside Super League to make the semi-finals since 2006. The last team to do that, Hull Kingston Rovers, beat Warrington in the quarter-finals, and it looked as if lightning would strike twice. But Warrington and the Challenge Cup have gone hand-in-hand in recent years and a much-improved second half from Tony Smith’s team ensured it would be the hosts who progressed to a fifth consecutive semi-final appearance.
They have been out of sorts in Super League and were far from their best, but they ultimately showed enough character and skill at key moments, despite losing James Laithwaite to a suspected dislocated ankle.
“I didn’t have to say a lot at the break – they knew they had to do things better,” said Smith. “They went out and delivered after the break. We competed a lot better and made them work a lot harder.”
Leigh exit with their heads held high. Places in Super League are not awarded on style of play but they are one of the finest sides to watch when they are in full flow. Now they can shift their focus back towards the primary aim of promotion from the Championship with confidence after a magnificent effort.
“We certainly didn’t want to come here and be gallant losers, but that’s what’s happened,” said their coach, Paul Rowley. “What we’ve learned from it is we can compete with top-end Super League teams as well as middle and bottom ones. We always get asked about yardsticks – and that was two equally matched teams out there.”
The sides exchanged tries in the opening quarter and after Ashton Sims and Ben Currie tries were countered with scores from Greg Worthington and Ryan Brierley, only a missed conversion from Leigh’s Martyn Ridyard split the teams at 12-10.
Leigh then showed why they are fast gaining a reputation as the game’s great entertainers – they ran on the last instead of kicking and when winger Liam Kay turned the ball back inside for Gregg McNally to touch down it sent the Centurions into a half-time lead that they fully deserved.
Warrington improved immediately after the interval though, and within four minutes of the restart, winger Kevin Penny turned the game on its head with two sensational finishes to put the home side firmly in control. The first came after a stunning Stefan Ratchford run to set the winger up. Penny’s second was a moment of acrobatic brilliance in the corner to stay in play.
Not even Gareth O’Brien being sent to the sin-bin could halt their momentum and they extended their lead when the impressive Brad Dwyer stabbed a kick through for George King to touch down.
Leigh may have folded trailing 28-14 but Brierley scored his second six minutes later to set up a tense finish.
