Leigh hold nerve to edge St Helens and finish fifth

Betfred Super League

Leigh (12) 18

Tries: Asiata, Leutele, Charnley Goals: Moylan 3

St Helens (0) 12

Tries: Makinson, Knowles Goals: Bennison 2

Leigh Leopards produced the performance they needed to book their Super League play-off place, edging a bruising encounter against St Helens.

Home nerves frayed after a second-half Saints charge cancelled out a two-try advantage inside four minutes, after Ricky Leutele was controversially sin-binned.

But Josh Charnley’s brilliant effort 12 minutes from time and a penalty from Matt Moylan saw Adrian Lam’s side to two points and earned them an eliminator round tie at Salford Red Devils on Friday, 27 September.

Charnley's try drew him level in second place with Danny Maguire in the Super League all-time scorer's list.

Defeat for Saints means they slip to sixth place in the table, sending them into a daunting looking match-up with third-placed Warrington Wolves in their eliminator on Saturday, 28 September.

Leigh Leopards won 10 of their final 12 games of the 2024 Super League regular season

Leigh will feel justice was done after dominating this high-octane affair, aside from when Leutele was binned for a challenge on Jack Welsby on 53 minutes.

Elsewhere they won the physical battle convincingly, with hooker Edwin Ipape setting the tone of a ferocious display without the ball.

In possession they shaded it as well, John Asiata, with a full-stretch fingertip grounding confirmed by video referee Ben Thaler after 21 minutes, giving the hosts the lead.

Then Leutele finished off a superb move through Lachlan Lam and Matt Moylan just before half-time to give Adrian Lam’s side a comfortable lead at the break.

Yet Saints, stung after an early try by Tommy Makinson was ruled out for an obstruction, came roaring back when the Leopards went a man down.

First Makinson touched down in the right corner on 59 minutes and Morgan Knowles got on the end of a high kick from Jonny Lomax three minutes later.

But, after doing the hard work to draw level, Saints were stunned by Charnley, who finished off a fluent move getting over in the left corner to retake the lead.

With six minutes to go, Makinson’s attempt to offload off the floor gifted a penalty to the home side which Moylan calmly slotted over to wrap up their fifth-placed finish.

Leigh Leopards head coach Adrian Lam:

"That was play-off intensity and atmosphere. It was an unbelievable atmosphere.

"I am just proud of the team. We have been under the pump for the past 13 games. But we are in the six so we are very grateful.

"It is going to have to be the same intensity next week so we have to rise again."

St Helens head coach Paul Wellens

"I really enjoyed the game, [it was a] great to be a part of but I'm disappointed to come out on the wrong side of the result.

"I thought we were unfortunate for the disallowed try in the first half. In big games like this some calls go your way, some don't. You have to accept that.

"In the past three or four weeks we keep taking steps in the right direction, we did that again tonight. It is going to be another tough challenge next week.

"But going back a few weeks we didn't think we would be there."

Leigh Leopards: Moylan; McIntosh, Hanley, Leutele, Charnley; O’Brien, Lam; Halton, O’Donnell, Asiata; Amone, Ipape, Mulhern.

Interchanges: Hughes, Trout, Dwyer, Pene

St Helens: Welsby; Makinson, Percival, Mata’utia, Bennison; Lomax, Dodd; Whitley, Batchelor, Knowles; Delaney, Burns, Lees.

Interchanges: Clark, Bell, Paasi, Stephens

Referee: Liam Moore.