Challenge Cup: Wakefield Trinity 12-40 Leigh: Leopards ease into quarter-finals

Leigh Leopards scored seven tries as they beat Wakefield 40-12 to reach the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup.

The visitors were in complete control early on at Belle Vue, with winger Tom Briscoe scoring the first of his pair of tries with only two minutes played.

Leigh clinically exploited gaps in the hapless backline of Super League’s bottom side to go 22-0 up at half-time.

Trinity responded by going over twice after the break, but Leigh had enough attacking threat to see the game out.

Leigh came into the game on a high after four successive league wins and their confidence showed when Lachlan Lam neatly fed the ball to the right and Briscoe raced away to score in the corner.

More delight for the travelling contingent followed when John Asiata showed determination to wrestle the ball into his grasp and go over without being caught.

Wakefield looked forlorn when Briscoe was found at the right-edge to grab his second try, before second-row Kai O’Donnell easily crashed down to make it 20-0.

Trinity’s brightest moments came through debutant Oli Pratt, who was involved in the move that allowed loose forward Jay Pitts to go over.

That lifted the heads of the home side, who got another try through a patient move finished off by Will Dagger, but only after O’Donnell and Ricky Leutele had ensured that Leigh retained a commanding advantage.

Ultimately, Wakefield could not free themselves of simple mistakes, again leaving too much space for a ruthless and explosive attack, with winger Josh Charnley adding the gloss of a seventh try converted by Ben Reynolds, who missed only one of his kicks.

Wakefield coach Mark Applegarth:

“In the first half, individual errors cost us. In the second half, there was some ill-discipline and they fully capitalised on that too.

“It was a different team that went out with a bit of inexperience, but they kept on going and it will be a good learning curve.

“Oli Pratt I thought had a good game, his first taste won’t do him any harm in the long run.

“Our plan is about making sure we survive in Super League, it’s as simple as that,”

Leigh Leopards coach Adrian Lam told BBC Radio Manchester:

“I’m pretty happy considering it’s always been a tough place to come to.

“It was really important for us as a club to keep the momentum going.

“I’m disappointed with the two tries against us, but I was really pleased with our overall effort.

“Sometimes you’ve got to win a little bit ugly.”

Wakefield: Dagger; Lineham, Gaskell, Pratt, Taufua; Smith, Lino; Atoni, Proctor, Bowes, Bowden, Proctor, Pitts, Crowther.

Interchanges: Hood, Battye, Eseh, Windrow.

Leigh: O’Brien; Briscoe, Leutele, Hardaker, Charnley; Reynolds, Lam; Amone, Ipape, Mulhern, Holmes, O’Donnell, Asiata.

Challenge Cup: Wakefield Trinity 12-40 Leigh: Leopards ease into quarter-finals 2023-05-19 20:36:53