Leigh 25-0 Salford: Centurions avoid bottom spot after whitewash win

Match stats: Leigh 25-0 Salford

Leigh tries: McNally (9, 78), Vea (18), Langi (35)
Goals:  Drinkwater (9, 18, 35, 78)
Drop goal: Drinkwater (75)

Match report

Leigh made sure they did not finish bottom of Super League at the end of the regular season as they nilled Challenge Cup semi-finalists Salford at the Sports Village.

Instead it is Widnes who take the wooden spoon after Leigh scored 25 unanswered points on their way to their first ever Super League win over their local rivals.

First-half tries from Gregg McNally, Atelea Vea and Samisoni Langi, all converted by Josh Drinkwater, saw Leigh lead 18-0 at half-time and they completed the job with a second for McNally in the dying moments plus a Drinkwater drop goal.

Leigh had lost 14 of their last 16 Super League games but opened the scoring in the ninth minute when a worked move from the scrum saw space open up for full-back McNally to race in from 10 metres.

Drinkwater added the conversion but was off target with a penalty attempt soon after.

The home side extended their lead in the 19th minute when Daniel Mortimer's well-timed pass on the last tackle sent Vea sliding over and Drinkwater added the conversion to make it 12-0.

Salford, who had already beaten Leigh twice this season, started to enjoy more possession on the back of several handling errors by Neil Jukes' men but they too were guilty of mistakes when presented with good attacking positions.

Centurions had a try disallowed seven minutes from half-time when McNally's long pass to Mitch Brown was deemed forward by referee Jack Smith. But they continued to press and when the ball was worked to the right edge, centre Langi was able to somehow ground the ball under pressure.

Drinkwater kicked the conversion from the touchline and Leigh led 18-0.

Salford forced Leigh to drop out twice in the early stages of the second half as they dominated possession but they were unable to breach some determined defence. There was further disruption for Ian Watson's side when influential half-back Robert Lui was helped from the pitch after 54 minutes, a concern for the Red Devils ahead of next week's cup semi-final against Wigan.

As weather conditions worsened, scoring chances were at a premium but Drinkwater kicked a late drop goal before Leigh finished on a high with a second try for McNally.

The full-back scooped up a loose pass inside his own half, broke clear then kicked ahead. He won the race for the ball and scooted clear to touch down.

Drinkwater added the conversion to compound a miserable night for Salford, who have now lost six of their last seven Super League games.

Match reaction

Leigh coach Neil Jukes:  "We ticked nearly every box tonight. It was a derby and we didn't want to finish bottom on our first season back in Super League. It was important for us to get some confidence and build momentum as we go into the next competition (Super 8 qualifiers). I was really pleased.

"Our game management was good as was our defensive effort plus we kicked the ball at the right time. We only gave away six penalties in the entire game so when you do that you have a lot of energy. The players kept turning up for each other and defended repeat sets on our line. It has given us something to build on." 

Salford coach Ian Watson: "People will lose their shirt on that performance today. It was disappointing. The first half we were way below the standards we have set ourselves physically. Leigh were dominant - their pack was on the front foot and their half-backs were able to control the game on the back of that."

Any distraction from next week's Challenge Cup semi-final against Wigan? "You would hope not because this was a massive game for the club to try and finish in the top four. Our performances have dipped and there's been a drop in intensity since we secured a top-eight finish. What we need to do now is realise what we were doing before and rediscover the hunger and attitude we showed earlier in the season which was winning us games. For Leigh to score 18 points in that first half in those conditions put them on the front foot."